Defining Duke, Episode 210 | Is 2025 The Year That Xbox Delivers?
Added 2025-01-09 17:00:13 +0000 UTCAfter two weeks of R&R, the Duke boys are back! Plenty happened while we were away. Everything from Oblivion Remake leaking (again) to a supposed Xbox console dropping in 2026 circulated, so we have much to pick up at the start of the new year. For starters, a Developer Direct looms and the lineup could be stacked if it's to include The Outer Worlds 2, Fable, DOOM: The Dark Ages, and South Of Midnight as expected. The question on the tip of everyone's tongue is simply this: "What is the mystery fifth game appearance?" In year one, it was Hi Fi Rush. Year two gave it to a rare third party appearance in Square Enix for Visions Of Mana. The Duke debate what could show up! We also dive into Xbox's sudden competition with Valve as they've lept headfirst into challenging Windows with their own OS. How has this accelerated Microsoft's plans without a handheld ready? Plus, grim estimates of Xbox's current console sales and, even worse, Xbox's sales hits to Game Pass titles!
Timestamps:
0:00:00 - Intro
0:35:13 - Dispelling the Black Myth Wukong… myth?
0:44:29 - Series X & S sales estimates are bleak
1:03:08 - 80% of sales lost on Game Pass titles
1:11:44 - Xbox Cloud Gaming is headed to LG Smart TVs
1:12:38 - Kojima's OD sees a setback
1:16:40 - Xbox rejected a Halo/DOOM crossover for Secret Level
1:21:22 - Jez Corden on more Indiana Jones games
1:24:19 - Season 1 of Marvel Rivals revealed
1:30:54 - Splash Damage cancels Transformers: Reactivate
1:33:52 - SEGA considering its own subscription service
1:37:24 - First look at Virtua Fighter 6
1:41:31 - PlatinumGames says they’re planning some things..
1:44:22 - Will Shen, former lead quest designer at BGS, on massive games
1:52:33 - So, this is where the former Annapurna Interactive team went
1:55:46 - SteamOS is available for third party devices
2:04:14 - Destiny 2 has lost 90% of its Steam players in seven months
2:13:37 - What We’re Playing
2:51:47 - Matty's 74 Hours on Xbox
3:06:31 - Xbox Developer Direct soon?
3:30:03 - Oblivion Remake rumors
3:48:17 - Coming soon to Xbox Game Pass
3:51:00 - Game Pass Pick Of The Week
Comments
Wouldn't call it a classic but I absolutely loved it
Gooch Gobbler
2025-01-22 18:27:21 +0000 UTCThats why I used that game as an example in my write in. The overlayed modern graphics and just destroyed the art style
Phil Walker
2025-01-15 11:08:59 +0000 UTCThe combat evolved remake was poorly executed, while also being unique. The art style took a big departure in the remake and flooded everything with lighting, removing use of the flashlight and removing a lot of the “horror” tension from later levels. I implore you guys to look at side by side comparisons if you are being vocally defendant of the CE remaster on an Xbox podcast. Not saying you are wrong, but you would be crucified amongst some of the hardcore halo fanbase for that opinion.
Bartevious
2025-01-14 21:31:48 +0000 UTCYa’ll keep waxing poetic about Outer Worlds as if it’s a modern classic😭
Trill Spencer
2025-01-14 20:46:03 +0000 UTCI love going to the movies by myself lol it’s a vibe
Trill Spencer
2025-01-13 18:09:45 +0000 UTCMatty, sounds like that mode you described in rivals is just free for all.
Bartevious
2025-01-13 14:04:13 +0000 UTCremember how demon's souls was literally sony wanting to have their own oblivion? the remake for demon's is basically just the existing code of ps3 DeS, but with unreal engine 5 graphics or whatever slapped on top of it. if they did the same with oblivion, id actually be pretty stoked. DeSr is still my pick for best ps5 game to date. masterpiece level execution, but the code is still familiarly janky 😊
K. Huntington
2025-01-13 11:56:29 +0000 UTCI think the Shadow Gens dlc just had terrible writing that didn't make sense and felt like it was clumsily translated. "I feel as I've traveled to another dimension..." "Is this the Earth that Maria talked about? It's beautiful." Wtf? How is Keanu supposed to work with that? I doubt Sega could direct him as well as Jeff Fowler or CD Projekt Red. The Sonic 3 slander is too much, though.
David P
2025-01-12 20:54:56 +0000 UTCWelcome back Boys! #OSDD
Mr. Scott If You're Nasty
2025-01-12 18:20:03 +0000 UTCGlad someone got the references ;) #YoungCogJoy
The Iron Lords Podcast
2025-01-12 04:37:16 +0000 UTCHEAVY METAL WAR:)
The Iron Lords Podcast
2025-01-12 04:36:43 +0000 UTCMuahahaha I always find that specifc notion hilarious for people considering I haven't bought a physical PC game since Dishonored 2.
Edwin Juarez
2025-01-12 02:21:43 +0000 UTCXbox the console is over man. But I still listen, because Xbox the publisher is still alive. But they’re 1000% pushing people to play their games in other places and not on their console. I’ll support them when they bring games to PlayStation, because that’s my preferred console, but I still love listening to you guys.
Chris Van Buren
2025-01-11 22:34:35 +0000 UTCI say the following playfully, not maliciously: Matty: I'm sorry guys, I value physical games and the game being on the disc and that's why I didn't play much on my Xbox in 2024. Also Matty: (Puts 500 hours into PC where physical games aren't a thing) ????
Mike Po
2025-01-11 18:53:12 +0000 UTCDreamcast Guy?
Mr. Scott If You're Nasty
2025-01-11 11:33:45 +0000 UTChttps://youtube.com/shorts/g6rcIemGWoo?si=8dnWE6pXsy2Bvvpi This guy described the Battle Theme from Metaphor best lol
Ryan
2025-01-10 20:59:23 +0000 UTCHey Cog, I love the G1 TF love in this episode. It's great to see some love for the original series. That episode is one of my favorites too.
Chris
2025-01-10 19:27:36 +0000 UTCCog describing transformer was the best thing ever 🙏🏼 pure joy
Drew
2025-01-10 17:13:11 +0000 UTCMatty should get on letterboxd for tracking movies
Murderer Kevin
2025-01-10 16:03:13 +0000 UTCWhat does it really mean for xbox to deliver? The brand itself is dead. I guess delivering means their studios deliver great games on every platform? But even then what does that mean for xbox itself? Just even closer to the edge of 3rd party. Sometimes I'm not even sure Xbox has any idea what they want it to be.
Brian Comstock
2025-01-10 15:34:36 +0000 UTCNice! Love the long episode
Haru Discourse
2025-01-10 14:30:24 +0000 UTCNah I’m with you 😂
Cami Black
2025-01-10 13:43:07 +0000 UTCDon’t agree with Cog’s assessment on this. When has PlayStation ever made an exclusive deal and not marketed? If they paid the devs to make PlayStation the only console you could play Black Myth on, they would be shouting it from the rooftops.
Ross Stoddart
2025-01-10 10:13:14 +0000 UTCThe Black Myth situation is a key reason you need to pay attention to what people say. Xbox’s statement never explicitly accused them of this, just insinuated it, so gives them some wiggle room. But they 100% played on Xbox fan’s / media conformational bias.
Ross Stoddart
2025-01-10 10:09:54 +0000 UTCyou press E
Cole Kinghorn
2025-01-10 07:21:39 +0000 UTCI’m going to sound like a bitch complaining about this, but the way Matty talks about Marvel Rivals is why I don’t like playing online multiplayer games. My friends asked me to play this week and I’m still learning the game. I don’t even know how to get out of punisher’s turret so yes I’ve been “that idiot” that dies while in there. Some people take these games too seriously, but maybe I’m reading into his comments too much.
Dakota Brown
2025-01-10 01:50:55 +0000 UTCI think it’s over for the Xbox console. The ABK deal signed their fate. They need to make that money back. Exclusivity is out the window and the next smart business move would be same day releases to capitalize on the hype of their products. Their product is no longer the hardware, it’s the software
Steve
2025-01-09 23:32:24 +0000 UTCMatty, do you still need the Malak & Revan LEGO figures?
Kenneth Koepnick
2025-01-09 22:02:46 +0000 UTCFour hour Duke let’s gooooo
Lizurd
2025-01-09 21:47:18 +0000 UTCMatty - you didn’t quite say it like that. I was surprised you selected that write in 🤣🤣🤣
Bartevious
2025-01-09 20:48:28 +0000 UTCEspecially when they didn't have a lot of first party games last year.
Henry Covert IV
2025-01-09 20:30:40 +0000 UTCBefore the start of this generation I played on Xbox primarily. About a year before the new consoles launched, I just built a PC since all the games were on there. Best decision ever
Bartevious
2025-01-09 20:03:12 +0000 UTCIn 2024 I bought an Xbox to play Starfield. In 2024 I sold my Xbox for a ROG Ally with gamepass. I think that says enough about 2025 Xbox. The games are fun but no need for a console
Yeti ATL
2025-01-09 19:50:12 +0000 UTCI agree completely. Again, nothing but respect for Cog and the show, but this whole “secret exclusivity” theory seems like a massive cope that Cog cooked up to prevent himself from having to criticize the series s in any way. He really lost me when he started using statements made by people from other studios (Larian) to back up his reasoning as to why GS might have a secret partnership with Sony.
Will Anderson
2025-01-09 19:03:19 +0000 UTCAlso Sony had GranBlue, Rise of the Ronin, Stellar Blade & Silent Hill 2 as exclusives & they said it every time. So why is Wukong a ‚secret‘ exclusive? That doesn‘t make any sense. I love Cog, he is a stellar dude, but this comes of as fanboyish. Not that hard to say „Hey maybe the Series S is the problem“. But they will believe what they want.
Fisnik Krasniqi
2025-01-09 18:53:37 +0000 UTCCog, I love you man but refusing to drop your conspiratorial attitude towards the lack of a Black Myth Xbox port after a dev came out and stated the exact reason as to why it missed the platform comes off extremely fanboyish on your end. Especially when you start to use arguments such as “nobody ever said Sony DIDN’T have some sort of secret exclusivity deal which means they definitely did”. Anytime Sony has had an exclusivity deal whether it be timed, permanent, or just a console exclusive, they’ve never been quiet about it, and they’ve consistently used said exclusivity as a marketing point. Not a good look at all imo.
Will Anderson
2025-01-09 18:07:31 +0000 UTCXbox has failed for over a decades worth of reasons. But it simply comes down to games. They never released anything that captured the gaming zeitgeist and demanded you had to play. I don't care about metacritic scores. Halo wasnt it. Starfield wasn't it. Hellblade wasn't it. Indiana Jones is simply too late to matter. Hifi they should never have shadow dropped. Games like The Last of Us. Uncharted 4. Bloodborne. Spiderman. Zelda BotW. Mario Odysee. Animal Crossing. God of War. Baldurs Gate 3. Times when the industry has stood still because of a games impact. 'what about Forza Horizon 4'. Come on. You know we are not talking about racing games here. If over 5 years EA released a Mass Effect, Battlefield, a Star Wars game and a Burnout, and it turned out that Burnout was the best thing they did, that's not a good thing!! And no one bought a f*cking Xbox for Flight Sim or Age of Empires!! For God's sake let's be real about this. Xbox won MC Publisher of the year mostly based on a multi plat game. 2 PC games and a Playstation exclusive!!! These arguments are not serious. They are also being killed in the 3rd party exclusives. Murdered. Just last year alone was brutal for games that missed Xbox. So you can talk about business updates and the acquisition taking too long but please let's be serious. They do not have the games to sustain a platform. We have watched it happen for over a decade now.
Phil Walker
2025-01-09 17:52:50 +0000 UTCTo answer honestly though, Xbox is for sure putting out a bunch of games I’m excited for (Outer Worlds 2, Doom, Indy, maybe that Oblivion remaster). It’s just that I’ll likely be playing them on PS5. Kind of a monkey’s paw situation for Xbox, but pretty good if you view them through a 3rd party lens.
Na’vi R and B singer, Mary J. Bligger
2025-01-09 17:35:02 +0000 UTCIt’s gotta be a meme on their part by now 🤣. No way they’re releasing Outer Worlds 2 unless GTA 6 gets delayed.
Diddy’s Dong Quest
2025-01-09 17:26:40 +0000 UTCIf I was a betting man. I’d say yes. And as a betting man I’m addicted to losing
NIGHTMARE NIGHTMARE NIGHTMARE
2025-01-09 17:11:06 +0000 UTC🎶Dooon’t stop belieeevin’🎶
Na’vi R and B singer, Mary J. Bligger
2025-01-09 17:10:56 +0000 UTCHow many years have we all been asking that question? Lol
Chuck Rude
2025-01-09 17:05:54 +0000 UTC
