Defining Duke: An Xbox Podcast

As Lord Cognito long predicted, the AI conversation reached a breaking point online when people saw one of the industry's golden children announced that they'll be using generative AI for their game's development. That team is Larian Studios who is responsible for the Divinity franchise alongside the incredible Baldur's Gate 3. The CEO of Larian, Swen Vincke, said that it will be used for mostly pre-production stuff along the lines of whiteboxing or even company e-mails. However, he also let it slip that concept art ideation will be part of that process as an optional tool. Well, social media did not like this at all. It has turned into one of the most split topics to round out 2025. So, where do the Dukes stand? Matty, a longtime critic of AI's usage in development beyond a tool, happens to be a massive Larian fan. Does he bend the knee? What of Lord Cognito who always expected this? Does he blink at such a revelation? Perhaps, it's all overblown. There is a reality where we're years down the line and Larian is on a long list of developers who are all doing the same thing. Time shall tell, but let's chat about what we know for now. Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro0:06:25 - Health Is Wealth0:26:41 - The Xbox Bowl0:30:12 - Backlog games we want to play in 20260:35:09 - Games we missed during The Game Awards0:38:23 - It’s actually Mega Man 120:43:23 - Clearing up some Warhammer nonsense0:47:26 - Katsuhiro Harada leaves Bandai0:55:58 - Elder Scrolls VI update1:12:30 - John Romero’s Xbox game survived cancellation1:14:55 - New Call Of Duty sub series inbound?1:23:30 - Exodus gets new leadership1:33:34 - Expedition 33 gets a new update1:35:37 - Marathon gets a March 2026 release window1:44:30 - Phantom Blade 0 is a timed PS5 exclusive1:45:16 - Dead Island 3 is a long, long ways away1:46:00 - Star Wars: Fate Of The Old Republic arrives before 20301:59:58 - Mega Man Star Force Collections arrives early 20262:00:41 - Resident Evil is about to be stacked for a few years2:01:47 - Updates on Persona 62:06:24 - What We’re Playing2:27:04 - Larian Studios is using generative AI3:19:35 - Forza Motorsport is done3:23:10 - Xbox teases Developer Direct Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Star Wars: Fate Of The Old Republic. Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro0:01:35 - Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic0:15:50 - Pragmata Release Date0:17:26 - New Divinity Game0:23:50 - Coven of the Chicken Foot0:25:26 - Ontos0:27:00 - 4:LOOP0:29:23 - Order Of The Sinking Star0:30:52 - South of Midnight gets PS5 and Switch 2 reveal0:33:50 - Exodus0:39:34 - Control Resonant0:41:42 - Lego Batman: Legacy Of The Dark Knight0:43:48 - Tomb Raider0:47:37 - Saros Delayed0:49:42 - Star Wars: Galactic Racer0:52:04 - Award winners1:08:25 - Resident Evil Requiem1:12:03 - Gang of Dragon1:20:02 - Invincible VS Release Date1:22:17 - Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred1:23:59 - Total War: Warhammer 40,0001:27:37 - Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve1:32:31 - Phantom Blade Zero Release Date1:35:41 - Mega Man Dual Override1:42:48 - Highguard1:56:29 - Wrap Up Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Despite any gripes with Xbox this year, there's no denying that 2026 presents a fun challenge for them. Fable, Forza Horizon 6, Halo, and Gears Of War E-Day are all slated to drop next year. However, a new wrinkle has been introduced in the ambitious RPG, Clockwork Revolution, which hails from inXile Entertainment. After a seven minute trailer from this summer's showcase, we felt this thing had to be ready to go soon. Sadly, the RPG titan tempered our expectations when the trailer ended with the familiar statement from its initial reveal: "Coming in due time." Well, if a LinkedIn profile is to be believed, Clockwork Revolution may join the fray of a busy year for the "biggest publisher in gaming." Naturally, we hone in on GTA 6 which creates a splash radius so large that every publisher will be avoiding them for the fall. How Xbox navigates this will be interesting as we have yet to consider overdue titles like State Of Decay 3 and third party deals. Buckle up, friends! It's going to be a wild ride. Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro0:06:49 - Health Is Wealth0:11:42 - Birthday video games0:24:49 - Holiday gaming plans0:30:43 - Our reveal predictions for The Game Awards0:37:07 - What is that Game Awards statue?0:41:43 - Avowed roadmap updated0:50:38 - Microsoft might want to add AI to Game Pass1:00:04 - Xbox Game Pass is done for the year1:05:04 - CD Projekt Red wants the new Witcher trilogy done in 6 years1:28:49 - Make or Break moment for Yacht Club Games1:38:21 - The art controversy with Marathon has been settled1:43:00 - There will be a Hitman 41:45:49 - Ubisoft cuts plans for Assassin’s Creed Shadows DLC1:51:10 - Splinter Cell director returns1:54:35 - Bloodlines 2 sales flop1:58:23 - Is Shadow The Hedgehog getting his own movie?2:01:41 - What’s next for Metal Gear Solid?2:08:11 - Control 2 reveal at The Game Awards?2:09:19 - Some sales updates2:10:42 - What We’re Playing3:01:50 - Xbox’s 2026 release rumors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thanks to the likes of OpenAI, hardware manufacturers are scrambling to adjust prices amidst a shortage of RAM. As a result, things are about to become more expensive again! Unlike companies like Lenovo or PlayStation who seemingly bought stock in advance to help avoid price shock, Xbox appears to be ready to pass this one onto the consumer. Naturally, the "Xbox refugees" have turned their attention toward the Steam Machine which could fill a void in our gamer hearts. However, the Dukes find it hard to imagine a hero in this stock shortage story. Just how much will the Steam Machine be after Valve admits they will not be subsidizing and are just looking to make the device competitive? Will it look good beside a PlayStation 6 or next gen Xbox? We have a lot of questions, little answers, and even less money. Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro0:04:41 - Health Is Wealth0:14:29 - Let’s chat some more about Charlie ‘4 Hours’ Cox0:22:50 - Xbox’s November 2025 update0:31:40 - Default Game Profiles come to the Xbox Ally0:35:06 - The Xcrocs are (sadly) real0:41:13 - Battlefield 6 versus Black Ops 71:04:07 - Destiny 3 is in the works?1:09:10 - A crazy week in the world of Ubisoft1:31:50 - TMNT is getting the Sonic treatment1:43:28 - Leaked messages of what got Rockstar employees fired1:46:03 - Intergalatic: The Heretic Prophet is years away1:50:00 - Stellar Blade 2 will be multiplatform1:50:59 - Death Stranding 2 coming to PC soon?1:52:57 - Exodus trailer confirmed for The Game Awards1:56:57 - Cyberpunk’s sequel is ramping up1:59:42 - SEGA admits their definitive versions could hurt sales2:13:12 - What We’re Playing2:44:17 - Valve talks Steam Machine value as Xbox is expected to jump their prices again Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As was originally reported, Xbox brought out a Partner Preview in November. It was chockful of everything strange like a co-op alien shop simulator or a thuggish rabbit beating up baddies to more traditional first person horror titles. The catch was that every game we saw throughout was a Play Anywhere title, a program that many of Xbox's players still yearn for the platform to leverage more. All in all, the Dukes enjoyed the show, especially given it dropped ahead of the biggest show of the year in the Game Awards where announcements are typically prioritized. Beyond that, we dive deep into the Valve rumor mill. Half Life 3 is everywhere! Is it finally happening and are the Dukes believers? We get into that plus updated thoughts on the Steam Machine now that we've had some time to digest the triple-whammy Valve hit us with last week. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at https://www.shopify.com/duke Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro0:13:32 - Discussing The Game Awards nominees0:31:43 - The myriad of Half Life 3 rumors0:36:54 - Valve’s focus for the Steam Machine0:51:16 - Xbox Ally is exceeding expectations0:55:09 - Xbox releases game publishing documentation to the public0:59:26 - Obsidian has yet to use generative AI1:03:17 - Activision caught using AI generated assets in Black Ops 71:12:01 - Bethesda responds to Fallout 4’s anniversary issues1:28:04 - Krafton is now the publisher of Hi Fi Rush, but there’s a catch1:31:37 - New comments by Sarah Bond on Xbox’s future1:37:18 - PlayStation was indifferent to market shrinking in Japan1:46:07 - Where is Yoko Taro?1:48:58 - A new Ratchet & Clank game got revealed1:56:42 - Don’t call it a Concord comeback2:00:35 - Silent Hill Townfall’s release date leaked2:02:15 - Ubisoft canceled Splinter Cell for xDefiant2:10:02 - Red Dead Redemption 1 gets next gen update2:10:56 - Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 reaches 4 million sales figure2:13:38 - First look at Zelda movie2:14:27 - Death Stranding is getting an original anime on Disney+2:17:16 - Coming soon to Xbox Game Pass2:19:42 - What We’ve Been Playing3:11:50 - Xbox Partner Preview Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices