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 - Intro
0:03:34 - Health Is Wealth
0:50:02 - Comment boys
0:55:58 - Quick summer showcase wishlist
1:03:08 - Tough decisions in September
1:18:30 - Xbox is now XBOX
1:24:43 - Forza Horizon 6 surpasses 1 million players in early access
1:27:42 - Warhorse is making a Lord Of The Rings RPG
1:49:40 - The Colin Moriarty PlayStation Hack
2:10:30 - PlayStation is returning to exclusivity
2:54:39 - We almost got Star Wars: The New Republic
3:14:58 - 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 - Intro
0:03:42 - Health Is Wealth
0:08:37 - The Xbox-Discord partnership is official
0:21:22 - Forza Horizon 6 leaks online ahead of launch
0:28:22 - Ken Levine on why Judas took a decade to make
0:47:07 - eBay rejects Gamestop’s offer
0:55:40 - Lies Of P sequel in full production
1:10:19 - PlayStation first party is diving into the world of AI tools
1:31:10 - SEGA cancels Super Game
1:38:02 - The Bungie acquisition gets uglier
1:48:57 - 007 First Light claps back at FPS jokes
2:00:38 - Switch 2 price hike is here
2:06:12 - Game sales update
2:09:47 - What We’re Playing
2:57:03 - Gears Of War E-Day appears set for September
3:06:45 - 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 - Intro
0:09:13 - Health Is Wealth
0:16:28 - Halo 2 & 3 reportedly being remade
0:38:22 - New Xbox boot up screen for the first time in 6 years
0:42:12 - Jez Corden’s latest Xbox exclusivity scoop
1:10:20 - GameStop is trying to acquire eBay
1:17:06 - Steam Machine pre orders soon?
1:21:17 - PS4 and XB1 may finally be on the way out
1:27:54 - Bank Of America wants higher priced games
1:33:03 - NBA: The Run revealed and arrives June 2026
1:38:00 - Are content creators heavily influencing the conversation?
1:56:15 - Marathon has story plans for the next few years
1:59:00 - Looking ahead at May 2026 game releases
2:27:17 - What We’re Playing
3:10:04 - 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 - Intro
0:42:20 - Xbox Game Pass “Starter Edition” leaks
0:49:16 - Asha Sharma on Xbox Helix timing and pricing
0:54:41 - PS5 DRM drama
1:07:15 - Valve drops updates on Steam Machine, Controller, and Deck 2
1:12:56 - Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced officially revealed
1:22:51 - Far Cry show director says the worst things imaginable
1:27:23 - Assassin’s Creed Hexe loses a ton of key staff
1:32:56 - RPG developer Spiders is shutting down
1:41:30 - New information on Blood Of Dawnwalker
1:50:26 - Alien Isolation 2 teaser
1:51:46 - What We’re Playing
2:30:29 - Xbox shares massive update on the future of the brand

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The first 60 Days of Asha Sharma's tenure has been MORE than eventful! News of an Xbox Game Pass price drop and removal of Day One Call Of Duty from the service has reverberated throughout the games industry. What does this unprecedented price drop mean for Game Pass, future tier integrations, and COD moving forward? Cog enlists the unique perspective of Ebontis to break down all these ramifications. Beyond that, a fun Asha Sharma vs Shawn Layden interaction "debate", bold statements from Jason Ronald on Project Helix, and a huge week of Xbox news!

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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 - Intro
0:05:18 - Health Is Wealth
0:15:56 - warmups
0:21:38 - Jason Ronald shuts down 3rd-party Helix console rumors
0:30:37 - Starfield’s PS5 numbers are in
0:42:54 - Asha Sharma wants to chat with Shawn Layden
0:58:19 - Does Major Nelson want to go back to Xbox?
1:03:23 - Shuhei Yoshida reveals that Jim Ryan fired him
1:16:15 - Metro 2039 revealed
1:20:19 - Mass Effect showrunner denies rewrite reports
1:29:38 - Pragmata sells 1 million copies in 2 days
1:34:22 - Gears Of War movie update
1:39:05 - Former Halo executive and Xbox Film/TV lead has left Microsoft
1:42:38 - Elden Ring movie gets release window and casting details
1:45:55 - Xbox Unveils Forza Horizon 6 Controller And Headset
1:49:39 - What We’re Playing
2:46:40 - Xbox drops Game Pass price and Day 1 Call Of Duty from the service
3:19:41 - Halo Studios reportedly abandons battle royale?

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As the Asha Sharma regime begins to take shape, rumors of ending Day One Call Of Duty On Xbox Game Pass are heating up! In addition to Game Pass price drops, are exclusive Xbox games also back on the table? Thanks to recent discussions on The Xbox Two Podcast regarding these topics, Cog enlists Jez Corden and Rand Al Thor 19 to break these down further. Beyond that, another busy week of more Xbox Game Showcases, more Halo Studio drama, and how the release year of Xbox in 2026 is taking shape!

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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 - Intro
0:05:12 - Warmup Up Questions
0:24:59 - Matt Booty Official Xbox Podcast Interview
0:35:51 - Xbox First Look: Metro 2039: New show format
0:55:19 - Halo Studios drama continues
1:23:13 - Playground Confirms Fable Delay Rumor Is False
1:35:50 - Diablo 4 Could Be Coming to Switch 2
1:43:51 - WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers Dev Team Dissolved
1:50:32 - What We’re Playing
2:26:31 - Xbox Having 'Very Big Discussions' About Exclusivity
3:18:11 - Xbox Considering Ending Day One Call of Duty on Game Pass & Lowering Price

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Remember the 2020 trailer for State Of Decay 3? Turns out, that trailer was greenlit when the game was just a Microsoft Word document. Indeed, the team was barely above a handful of people and yet it got a full on trailer! That's only the start of today's story which leads us into the start of a private alpha playtest for the game. Indeed, it appears that this game truly began its work sometime in 2023 at best. The Dukes have thoughts, but much of it leans into the 'glass half full mentality' thanks to an interview by Sunny Games. In this, we learn about State Of Decay 3's direction for its co-op mode, combat, base building, choice and consequence, and plenty more. Beyond that, it was a busy week for Xbox as we finally are seeing movement on the achievements from. Naturally, there's also Halo drama to get into because when isn't that a thing?

Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.
0:00:00 - Intro
0:20:31 - Game Pass refunds are dead?
0:21:41 - Xbox theme parks
0:25:12 - Halo Campaign Evolved release date leaks
0:41:20 - Xbox is finally updating achievements
0:56:29 - Mass Effect show being made for non-gamers
1:12:36 - Xbox continues to tinker with back compat
1:17:12 - Steam Deck 2 release date news
1:23:44 - What We’re Playing
2:19:49 - State Of Decay 3 has a pulse
2:55:35 - Halo Studios has more drama

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Once more, Xbox's summer showcase finds itself on the Sunday of Summer Games Fest weekend! It's there that they'll pull the lid off their 25th anniversary celebration with a deep dive on Gears Of War: E-Day alongside what will no doubt feature the likes of Fable, Halo, and plenty of other games. The Dukes find themselves mighty curious what Coalition has planned for Gears Of War this time around. Much like Halo, Gears Of War is known for its suite of modes that made it so dominant during the 360 days. Seeing how Halo Infinite struggled to ship with campaign, forge, and multiplayer attached, can Gears have a similar issue with its campaign, horde more, and multiplayer? Speaking of multiplayer, will this latest rendition appeal to the wall bouncers or the casuals? Furthermore, how far will the gameplay be taken from an innovation standpoint when this is the youngest we've ever seen Marcus and Dom? The questions are many, but the outcome is tantalizing as Developer Directs during the summer have established themselves as games where there is far more than usual to be shown off. All of our answers arrive on June 7th, but why not listen to the Dukes gab about this and much more until then, right?

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

0:00:00 - Intro
0:11:17 - A new segment?
0:13:52 - Leak culture in video games
0:23:45 - Xbox Partner Preview recap
0:35:43 - Why Xbox killed their “This Is An Xbox” campaign
0:38:43 - Updates and rumors on Halo Campaign Evolved
0:49:54 - Bethesda shuts down Elder Scrolls Blades
0:54:50 - Crystal Dynamics is making a Lord Of The Rings game
1:07:31 - Eidos Montreal layoffs
1:19:15 - Disney interested in buying Epic Games
1:26:07 - Shift Up acquires Shinji Mikami’s studio
1:33:42 - Nintendo's 2026 schedule leaks
1:45:53 - What We're Playing
2:17:53 - Xbox Summer Showcase revealed

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As tradition dictates, we recorded a roughly four hour show during a relatively light news week. Turns out that there was much to be said about those select topics. The Dukes revisit the hotly debated DLSS 5 topic with fresh information from a new interview with Nvidia as well as comments from their own CEO. The AI rabbithole admittedly runs deep this week as we also get into the closure of Sora as well as Capcom's plans for generative AI. From one hot button topic to another, we discuss the recent layoffs happening at Epic Games. When an industry's top selling game in Battlefield and most popular live service in Fortnite can't avoid layoffs, who can? The dynamic duo dive into the sustainability of game development and why indie just seems like the place to be now. Top of the Dukes' list is the recent report on Xbox CEO, Asha Sharma. It is said that she is assessing how to make Game Pass more attractive and is considering a price reduction. She is also investigating package deals, such as one with Netflix, as a way to bolster the service. Can this be enough to help the service grow? Is it even worth chasing when the 100 million subscriber dream is dead? As the episode's length suggests, we have plenty to say, so stop reading and get to listening!

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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 - Intro
0:14:53 - What games are we looking forward to?
0:24:42 - How can Copilot For Gaming navigate paying creators?
0:33:29 - Marathon sales update
0:52:49 - DLSS 5 updates
1:24:15 - OpenAI shuts down Sora
1:32:34 - Capcom on how they plan to use AI
1:44:06 - Epic Games layoffs
1:59:18 - Forza Horizon 6 PC requirements
2:02:19 - Minecraft Dungeons is getting a sequel
2:03:58 - Is Final Fantasy for old heads?
2:15:51 - Sony shuts down another studio
2:19:30 - Nintendo’s interesting digital pricing changes
2:22:49 - Dragon’s Dogma 2 DLC inbound?
2:36:40 - Sonic Frontiers Definitive Edition leaks
2:41:14 - What We’re Playing
3:20:51 - Xbox Game Pass price cuts incoming?
3:37:52 - Chris Charla interview on Xbox Helix SKUs

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After over a year of silence, Starfield's newest wave of content is here. The Dukes got to see things running behind the scenes and get a feel for Bethesda's new vision for the sci-fi RPG. It appears they're gearing up for more incremental updates rather than swinging in with a massive expansion pack each year. Between the Free Lanes update, Terran Armada, and the PlayStation 5 version, there's much for us to go over. Perhaps more of the hot button topic is what is transpiring within AI. This time, it arrives in the form of DLSS 5 and to say there was backlash would be an understatement. The sizzle reel that showed off this new technology on the likes of Starfield, Hogwarts Legacy, Resident Evil Requiem, and the like was openly mocked, reaching beyond the games industry. In fairness, some are hopeful that this technology could lead to better looking, cheaper games. Can it? Well, pull up a chair, friend. We have much to discuss.

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

0:00:00 - Intro
0:09:41 - Remembering Camelworks
0:25:13 - What will happen to Series X/S versions of games?
0:29:19 - Jeff Kaplan tells you to shut up if you haven’t played a game
0:43:22 - TMNT x Magic The Gathering
0:49:04 - Xbox backwards compatibility rumors swirling
0:54:07 - This is an Xbox campaign being retired
1:02:11 - Gaming Copilot is coming to Xbox
1:17:57 - PC revenue will overtake consoles by 2028?
1:30:37 - LEGO Batman’s release date has moved up
1:36:01 - Cyberpunk 2077 has no plans for new DLC
1:38:50 - Exodus gameplay first look
1:42:48 - Resident Evil Requiem sales update
1:45:19 - Bravely Default shadow drops on Xbox
1:49:27 - Marvel Maximum Collection gets a release date
1:51:36 - PSSR 2.0 update
1:57:54 - PlayStation Portal update
2:02:48 - Switch 2 gets shocking upgrade
2:06:13 - What We’re Playing
2:24:45 - DLSS 5.0 revealed
3:24:06 - Starfield DLC & PS5 Release

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As the "Curse of the Dukes" continues, we have another massive reveal that occurred so quickly after our latest episode of the show was produced. In the last week, we've learned a lot about Xbox's direction for their future and, to their credit, they're being incredibly direct about it. Introducing Project Helix: the codename for Xbox's next bit of hardware that is capable of playing your PC and console games. Following the announcement, they revealed a chockful of information on their plans at this year's Game Developer Conference. "Xbox Full Screen Experience" has evolved into "Xbox Mode" and that arrives on PC in April. After months of testing on the Xbox Ally, Xbox deems this feature ready for the big leagues. As for the next Xbox itself, alpha versions of the hardware will be out by early 2027 for developers. Is it possible we also see a retail release by holiday 2027? Best of all, there is a tease of more to come with Xbox's backwards compatibility program which has lied dormant for years. Is it possible they have additions in store or maybe (just maybe) achievements being added to classic games? Will these classic games be native to the platform or just streamed? Indeed, there are many questions surrounding the brand, but the wind is blowing in a positive direction for them and that's mostly due to seemingly having their ducks in a row on just how they wanted to communicate what their plans actually are.

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

0:00:00 - Intro
0:08:31 - What We’re Playing
0:39:55 - Xbox reveals Project Helix
1:13:45 - Satya Nadella renews his vows with Xbox
1:34:41 - Opening platform to game developers

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