Defining Duke: An Xbox Podcast

It's officially showcase season! As tradition dictates, Rand Al Thor 19 of Xbox Two joins the Dukes for a smorgasbord of predictions! This year, we approach things a touch differently. Yes, we get into every (!) first party studio under the Xbox folder as per usual. However, 2026 marks the first Asha Sharma led summer showcase. With many business decisions up in the air ranging from exclusivity to hardware, this feels like a great time for Xbox's new lead to truly put her mark on the brand. With the "This is an Xbox" slogan out the window, will Xbox dare to don the logos of other platforms on their own stage? What of Project Helix? Much of Asha's rallying cry has been around "Return to XBOX." So, is it too early to show what Helix is truly made of during the 25th anniversary year of the brand? Will the shortage on consumer electronics plague what could be a massive announcement for the brand? Indeed, this showcase is a central point for a lot of business decisions that Asha could make in front of a crowd. Given this is her first showcase, the trio discusses what her "Hail Mary" moment can be. Is it time for a new Elder Scrolls VI trailer? Hi Fi Rush 2? Persona 6 or Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 3? A sequel to Fallout: New Vegas? There are many avenues for Xbox's new lead to take! Join us as we debate the appearance of over 30 first party studios, dig into third party partnerships, and stew over what could be a monumental showcase for the brand!

Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

0:00:00 - Intro0:11:18 - Exclusivity0:43:01 - Hardware1:06:13 - Activision1:17:28 - Arkane1:25:33 - Bethesda Game Studios1:35:38 - Coalition1:41:07 - Compulsion1:42:44 - Double Fine1:45:13 - Halo Studios1:59:38 - iD Software2:03:45 - InXile2:18:42 - MachineGames2:27:09 - Mojang2:29:05 - Ninja Theory2:32:13 - Obsidian Entertainment2:38:00 - Playground2:48:14 - Rare2:53:22 - Turn 102:54:11 - Undead Labs2:59:27 - World's Edge3:02:08 - Xbox Game Studios Publishing
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The Belgium Beauty joins once more as the Dukes combine to tackle our favorite topic: EXCLUSIVITY! Yes, PlayStation appears dead set on reverting to the ways of old as news has come in via Bloomberg. Moving forward, all PlayStation single player games will be exclusive to the console. With the launch of Xbox Player Voice, fans are louder than ever about exclusivity on the other side and as we approach the June showcase season, the topic has reached a fever pitch. Through a combination of our brains and your write ins, we leave no stone unturned. Is this good for gaming? Are Xbox and PlayStation doing all this to remove any semblance of power from Steam? Can Xbox ever untether themselves from Steam? We dig through it all and much more!

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Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

0:00:00 - Intro0:03:34 - Health Is Wealth0:50:02 - Comment boys0:55:58 - Quick summer showcase wishlist1:03:08 - Tough decisions in September1:18:30 - Xbox is now XBOX1:24:43 - Forza Horizon 6 surpasses 1 million players in early access1:27:42 - Warhorse is making a Lord Of The Rings RPG1:49:40 - The Colin Moriarty PlayStation Hack2:10:30 - PlayStation is returning to exclusivity2:54:39 - We almost got Star Wars: The New Republic3:14:58 - What We’re Playing
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What's this?! The esteemed 'Belgium Beauty' as part of the Dukes in 2026?! Indeed, it's Lock and Matty here to sprinkle some extra fun in the world of Xbox where the news never stops moving! This week, we have two types of leaks: A fun release window... and an actual game ahead of its launch. Starting with the fun stuff, Gears Of War: E-Day is looking to take a slot in what will, no doubt, be an extremely busy September. How it leaked is the fun part! In the not so fun stuff, Xbox themselves leaked Forza Horizon 6 via Steam. Fortunately, it is very close to the game's launch, but there is more to this story. How did this go down and should there be any panic? Let's dive in!Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.0:00:00 - Intro0:03:42 - Health Is Wealth0:08:37 - The Xbox-Discord partnership is official0:21:22 - Forza Horizon 6 leaks online ahead of launch0:28:22 - Ken Levine on why Judas took a decade to make0:47:07 - eBay rejects Gamestop’s offer0:55:40 - Lies Of P sequel in full production1:10:19 - PlayStation first party is diving into the world of AI tools1:31:10 - SEGA cancels Super Game1:38:02 - The Bungie acquisition gets uglier1:48:57 - 007 First Light claps back at FPS jokes2:00:38 - Switch 2 price hike is here2:06:12 - Game sales update2:09:47 - What We’re Playing2:57:03 - Gears Of War E-Day appears set for September3:06:45 - Wrap up
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It appears that Xbox got sick of the whole weekly negative news cycle schtick and has decided to go in the other direction. Is this week's news truly all that positive? I sincerely depends on how you look at it and nobody will actually know until much later. Asha Sharma has made new additions to her leadership team. Sarah Bond's former team has been replaced by alumni of Meta, Instacart, and CoreAI which all happen to be people that worked with Asha at the same time she led those respective companies. Is this the invasion of AI into Xbox as we initially feared? We get into that, but there's almost zero doubt that Xbox anticipated this because they pulled out quite the plot twist. Copilot for console and mobile is stopped, effective immediately. So, while there is more AI focused leadership than ever in Xbox, they also just axed one of the worst things the brand started rolling out last year. How do the Dukes feel about all of this? Well, that's why you're here, no? Pull up a chair, relax, and let's talk about Xbox some more before Brad returns and ruins it all.Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.0:00:00 - Intro0:09:13 - Health Is Wealth0:16:28 - Halo 2 & 3 reportedly being remade0:38:22 - New Xbox boot up screen for the first time in 6 years0:42:12 - Jez Corden’s latest Xbox exclusivity scoop1:10:20 - GameStop is trying to acquire eBay1:17:06 - Steam Machine pre orders soon?1:21:17 - PS4 and XB1 may finally be on the way out1:27:54 - Bank Of America wants higher priced games1:33:03 - NBA: The Run revealed and arrives June 20261:38:00 - Are content creators heavily influencing the conversation?1:56:15 - Marathon has story plans for the next few years1:59:00 - Looking ahead at May 2026 game releases2:27:17 - What We’re Playing3:10:04 - Xbox is giving up Copilot and bringing in a new leadership group
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The Dukes are finally reunited and what a week to do that! In a massive writeup on the Xbox Wire, we are seeing Asha Sharma and Matt Booty practically walk back on everything that the old regime stood for. Exclusivity is back under consideration, the "Microsoft Gaming" label is being ditched, and Xbox is focusing on their console. Just like old times! Perhaps most surprising with this blog post is the clear addressing of pain points for this brand: High prices, lacking PC presence, poor discovery tools, and most notably, disenchanted, frustrated players. The focus now for Xbox is daily active players. What does all of this mean and is this enough word salad to buy into? The globetrotting Dukes have you fine folks covered, so let's dig in.

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Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.0:00:00 - Intro0:42:20 - Xbox Game Pass “Starter Edition” leaks0:49:16 - Asha Sharma on Xbox Helix timing and pricing0:54:41 - PS5 DRM drama1:07:15 - Valve drops updates on Steam Machine, Controller, and Deck 21:12:56 - Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced officially revealed1:22:51 - Far Cry show director says the worst things imaginable1:27:23 - Assassin’s Creed Hexe loses a ton of key staff1:32:56 - RPG developer Spiders is shutting down1:41:30 - New information on Blood Of Dawnwalker1:50:26 - Alien Isolation 2 teaser1:51:46 - What We’re Playing2:30:29 - Xbox shares massive update on the future of the brand
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