Defining Duke, Episode 41: Avowed Gameplay + Story Details Leak ft. Ryan McCaffrey (Patreon)

It's a big week for the Dukes! One of Xbox's most significant acquisitions in the last half decade is Obsidian Entertainment. They are an extremely talented studio that has been consistently worked over by every publisher they have worked alongside in some way, shape, or form and now with Microsoft's pockets backing them up they will aim to make a big splash with Avowed. While it has long been described as "Obsidian's Skyrim," we were never 100% sure... until now. Joining us to discuss a recent huge leak about Avowed is IGN's Ryan McCaffrey and the timing couldn't be better. Beyond that, we dive into PlayStation's recent insistence on reaching tens and hundreds of millions of gamers. Will they take Xbox's pathway to reach that number or is there something else they have in mind? That plus 20th Anniversary predictions, the pressing discussion on how long a $60 should be, and much more!

Timestamps:

0:00:00 - Intro

0:04:23 - A minor correction and a question about... bidets.

0:08:40 - What we’ve been playing

0:13:33 - What happened to the Backward Compatibility program?

0:20:09 - How do we feel about Xbox launching a study to determine the benefits of Right to Repair?

0:24:35 - Do rising game prices help make a case for Game Pass?

0:36:45 - Would there be as much pushback on a Sony subscription model as there is on Game Pass?

0:44:32 - Why aren’t we seeing more promotion for Forza Horizon 5?

0:49:20 - A leak has revealed more details on Avowed.

1:03:55 - Jim Ryan says he wants to see many more people have access to PlayStation games.

1:13:19 - Jeff Strain (State of Decay studio founder) has started a new studio called Possibility Space.

1:24:44 - Fallout 3 has received a new update on Steam.

1:32:01 - Forza Horizon 5 previews have been strong!

1:36:46 - Xbox’s 20 Years of Play celebration has begun!

1:43:56 - Eidos Montreal has moved to four day work weeks.

1:49:22 - Disney is teasing a new Star Wars video game announcement.

1:58:17 - Game Pass pick of the week.

2:03:29 - Which Xbox IP should get a AAA metroidvania treatment?

2:07:25 - Where is Monolith Productions?

2:11:39 - Will we see an increase in modding size limits?

2:15:05 - Are we ever getting another Splinter Cell release?

2:28:20 - Do most hardcore games use Game Pass?