Defining Duke, Episode 185 | The Game Pass Aftermath (Patreon)

A rather peaceful July continues on as we dig through the aftermath of Xbox's major changes to Game Pass. For starters, we now have clarity on the wait for Day 1 games in the service at the standard tier and those who remain will be seemingly waiting a long time for their shiny games to arrive. Furthermore, Xbox is potentially pulling out of regions like Europe, Africa, and the Middle East when it comes to their consoles. With all these parts of the business shifting in real time, many are trying to predict where Xbox will be at the end of all these changes. Well, much of it hinges on Call Of Duty which is tying its beta to Game Pass subscribers. Indeed, it's a different Xbox we're looking at in 2024! Does this new Xbox consider Crash 5 important enough to resurrect? How cutthroat shall they be with 343 in their next Halo? There is quite a bit to discuss, so enough briefing and let's get to chatting!

Timestamps:

0:00:00 - Intro

0:16:10 - Microsoft Rewards not fueling Game Pass?

0:19:23 - Amazon is now selling a Xbox Streaming bundle

0:31:09 - Microsoft releases dynamic Xbox 360 blades background

0:37:26 - Forza Horizon 5 has reached 40 million players

0:44:35 - TMNT: Mutants Unleashed gameplay revealed

1:00:23 - Yakuza developer announcing their next game at Tokyo Game Show

1:07:15 - A sequel to Aliens Fireteam Elite leaks

1:09:36 - Deadpool controller

1:11:09 - What We’re Playing

1:49:51 - Crash Bandicoot 5

1:57:38 - Day 1 Game Pass clarification from Jez Corden

2:04:59 - Call Of Duty Black Ops 6 beta details

2:09:46 - Xbox marketing is possibly exiting some regions

2:16:10 - Xbox GeForce Now integration available now

2:18:24 - What's going on with Halo's future?

2:39:04 - Microsoft is reportedly moving on from their DEI teams

2:52:50 - Leaving Game Pass soon

2:54:22 - Game Pass Pick Of The Week

3:01:34 - What system do we grow our game library on?

3:12:48 - Wrap-up