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Defining Duke, Episode 55: The Thread (Patreon)

Published:
2022-01-17 18:30:01
Imported:
2022-01

Content

Hey All!  It's time to submit your questions, comments, concerns, thoughts, and ideas for Episode 55 of Defining Duke.

Great ways to get your write-up used: Be pithy, be topical, and be insightful. Walls-of-text, posts littered with poor grammar and punctuation, etc., are promptly (though respectfully) ignored.

As this is an Xbox podcast, be sure your submission makes sense within that realm. You have until Wednesday, January 19th at 1p ET to make your submission.

Comments

Adam Turley

Is it time for xbox to abandon e3 and host their own show? With the live show being canceled again and the digital show on the rocks should xbox be making their own marquee event?

NuclearProstate

Hi guys, huge fan of the show. Love Matty's insights and Cog has the smoothest voice in the game. Here's my question: How come Microsoft hasn't gone after VR like so many of companies? I feel like with the money they have they could be on top so easily in that space. Cheers

Hustle&Motiv8

Love the show guys 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Anonymous

I gotta game for you fellas…. We can call it “swap it or stop it” you’ll be put in the GM seat for Xbox first party studios, and you’ll be given the chance to swap out some of your first party IP’s for Sony first party IP’s. Below are a list of 8 potential swaps, if you think it’s a good trade, you swap it, if you think it’s a bad trade, you stop it… (hopefully that makes some sense lol) 1. Gears for Jak and Daxter 2. Halo for God of War 3. Starfield for Horizon 4. State of Decay for Days Gone 5. Elder Scrolls for The Last of Us 6. Fallout for Uncharted 7. Fable for Spider-Man 8. Redfall for Sly Cooper Found the podcast a few months ago, been listening to every episode since. One of the best podcast duos in the game. Keep up the great work fellas.

Anonymous

G'day chaps, Now that we have a bonafide VR professional in the house, how about we get some Xbox-VR discussion going. If, or when, do you think Xbox takes the leap into the VR space? And if they do what are the first 3 IP you would like to see Microsoft Studio's create into a VR world? Love your work and I hope you both have a "I was playing beat saber too close to my TV and now it has a hole in it" kinda day. X

MonstaPontes93 (Ricky Pontes)

Hey duke boys! My question this week is a simple one. over hearing this weekend from sacred symbols + about the potential delay of hogwarts legacy from collin! It got me thinking what other 2022 games could be delayed into 2023 you guys also brought up a potential red fall delay which is another major new IP supposedly coming in summer of 2022 also stalker 2 getting a major hit to December which really got me thinking this year is suppose to be jam packed with plenty games but this is also the year that developers are going to try and go back into a in person work environments! ! I’m hoping for a great year which I’m sure it will be but I’m also wondering what could be the next major hit! Anywho that’s my question the rest is up to the dukes! Much love guys! Have a great week!

Lee Bull

What's up guys, I'm enjoying the show and the highest compliment I can pay you is this, you're the only Xbox centric show I can stomach 😘 Recently picked up a Series X, my first xbox since selling my 360 in '09. While Xbox didn't do enough to lure me back last gen they've come out swinging this gen. So my question is this, which if any exclusives did I miss that AREN'T on gamepass? Big brain time... Google isn't much help, so much misinformation with timed exclusives that elapsed etc. Hope you have an "OMG I'm dying for this 💩 but no WAY I'm using that public bathroom" kind of day 😂

Petre Cismigiu

Hello dukes! I have a horrible idea for you gentlemen, and I have a feeling you'll like it. I think it would be fun (maybe as a yearly tradition) to challenge your co-host to beat a game of your choosing. And I don't mean any game. I want you to be as mean as possible with each other. I'm talkin Balan Underworld mean. Or, you could force your opponent to play a game in a genre he does NOT like at all. The rules are simple. You need to beat the game, or roll the credits as it were, and then discuss it like you would a normal spoilercast. I think the audience would be delighted to hear about your horrible experiences, as dictated by all the great wishes everyone has for you when submitting inquiries. Thanks for all the entertainment you provide and I wish you a... simply accept my challenge kinda day.

DanXcel

Hey boys, In light of Matty's recent Fable review videos, available first only on Patreon :), I wanted to talk about the new Fable. Are we really that confident that Playground Games can deliver? I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Horizon games and I think Playground Games is an extremely talented studio, but ALL they've made are racing games. Are we certain they can deliver on story, writing, and combat, all of which they've never had to execute on before. And let's be honest Forza Horizon is fantastic, but the writing is cringe and the story is virtually non-existent. Add in the fact that Fable has a great legacy and fans of the series will have high expectations for this reboot. I just don't see how Playground Games can knock this one out of the park on their first try. Do you guys think I'm wrong? What are your expectations for Fable? Cheers and have a great week boys!!

Vonoran

Hello Dukes Cog, I watched this week’s ILP with Mama Micah and how you two spoke about video game representation of black characters, specifically toward character creation with hair. Being that you love character creation, has a voiced protagonist like Mass Effect/Fallout ever interfered with playing a colored character? Recently, I made a black character in Bound By Flame, which did not mesh well with the white voice actor in my opinion. Understandably, not all games can offer multiple voice options. Destiny had multiple options for voices but took that away when they didn’t want to fit the bill anymore. Dragon Age Inquisition is the only game in recent memory that supplies a choice of two dedicated voices for both genders—4 voices for one character. Furthermore, Matty—Lord of the RPG—what is your take on character creator?

Clay Layne

Hey there MCcrew(MattyCogCrew), Just wanted to layout a thought about the Xbox Achievements System. With rumors of things being worked or changed I would like to see items worked out. I would love to see DLC or post launch content seperated from the launch list of 100% cheevos. Also give out a "Diamond Achievement" Icon with completions. What changes if any would you guys like to see with the current Achievements system. Thanks and GAME ON!

Keith Golfer

Dukes! Are there any topics that haven't gotten a fair shake, that you would like to see big budget Games tackle? Personally, I feel we still haven't seen a Game explore the nuances of romance, sex or coming of age in the modern world - unlike movies, T.V and books have. What are some themes/topics you think are going missed by AAA developers? Do you see a space Microsoft's first party could fill?

Edwin Garcia

Hey Dukes! Do you guys think Xbox as a platform don’t get the recognition they deserve as always pushing the gaming industry forward? To name a few examples, the creation of Xbox live in the OG Xbox, the introduction to achievements, cross game chat, playstation users had to wait until the PS4 to get that feature.

Nicholas Brilhart

Greetings Dukes, Lords, and all you fine viewers and listeners. Last week the discussion of intellectual property cross overs in Halo Infinite's multiplayer came up and the consensus seemed to be just don't. I agree, but only so far as the examples given. No I wouldn't want to see Goku running around with Spartans. Halo isn't Fortnite. That being said I think their is more options than just giving out characters from other games and calling it a day. Halo's customization options consist of color combinations, various pieces of armor, and little weapon attachments a emblems to adorn your armor and vehicles. My question is how far can they go with these cosmetic options before it breaks your immersion and we reach "costume party" levels of ridiculous? Cat ears seemed to have caused some level of stink, but if we get some Fallout Power Amror inspired armor or some old school Rare Inspired emblems and color combinations would that work? Have a "I Bought and played Game of the Year 2021 Hitman 3 at launch and now it's on Gamepass" kind of day.

Anonymous

Do you ever see Xbox expanding their cloud gaming to eliminate the need for remote play? I travel a lot and would love to have access to all of my purchased games without having to connect to my console remotely.

Anonymous

What’s going on Matty and Cog? First time write in here! Apologize that it’s a bit of a longer one. I have a question about the development of Microsoft’s messaging around gaming acquisitions. I think most of us, naturally, have been paying attention to the sorts of teams they’re saying that they’re interested in acquiring, or the holes in their portfolio that they say they want to bring new teams in to fill. Recently, I’ve started to pay closer attention to what they’re *no longer* saying they’re interested in. Here’s my reasoning: I think when Phil or Satya were saying in interviews “we’re just getting started, here’s what we’re looking for,” their messaging was less so that we consumers had a sense of what to expect. I think it was more to tell development teams throughout the world, “hey, if you have these skills and you want to be part of the team, give us a call and let’s see if we can work something out” They haven’t talked recently like they’re looking for another big fish like they were messaging shortly after the Bethesda acquisition. And Phil has moved from signaling that they’re looking for a fighting game team, to signaling they’re looking for a family-friendly team, to signaling that they’re looking for a social game team. My thought is, the reason they’re not signaling that they’re looking for a big fish, fighting game team, or social game team anymore, is because they’re already having serious conversations with teams that fill those needs. So right now they don’t want to signal to other developers/publishers that they’re still looking to buy. What do you guys think? Do you think I’m on to something or do you think this is wishful thinking from an Xbox fan? Thanks guys, and I hope both of your stars continue to rise as they have over the last year. Y’all are both real ones and you deserve every bit of success you’ve achieved and every bit of it yet to come!

Anonymous

I was playing Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars recently. I really enjoy it despite generally disliking JRPGs because having it based on the Mario franchise made it much more approachable. Anyway, using established franchises to get players to dip their toes into new or niche genres is nothing new for Xbox with the likes of Halo Wars and Gears Tactics. Since Japanese support is a bit of a mixed bag for Xbox, should Microsoft adapt and have their Western devs make their own games in the JRPG-style (using small side teams of course)? It could be a way to introduce many Xbox fans to the genre. If Xbox's JRPGs sell well, it may encourage Japanese devs to better support the platform. Also, JRPGs are well-suited for xCloud. Any thoughts on this strategy or ideas for Xbox JRPGs?

Anonymous

Hello COG and Matty, Long time listener first time write in. After watching your episode on Tencent wanted to tell everyone about my moral dilemma. As I finally got my hands on an Xbox Series X I was faced with it. The only way to purchase the system was 1 through Gamestop and 2 came in a bundle only. The issue was the games in the bundle COD: Vanguard and 2K 2022. I stopped supporting both and refuse to buy there games out right but I wasn't passing up a series X because of it. Now I dont know what to do with these games as I essentially paid for them. Any Suggestions? Thanks for listening to my Moral Dilemma and I hope u have a fantastic day.

Daryl Rodriguez

Hello, My friend started playing Doom Eternal on Ultra Violent and I watched, as I had been through the gauntlet myself almost two years ago now. (Did Doom Eternal launch the same week as covid? That’s what it felt like.) I started playing Doom 2 on Switch, also on Ultra Violent, and the two games handle difficulty very differently. Doomguy is known for his high speed explosiveness, but you can’t do that in the older games, because you will get melted. You are forced to use cover and be careful. By contrast, in Eternal, if you stand still, you get melted. I like how Eternal makes me level up in my brain, and improve at doing the dance the game wants me to do, as opposed to the room-clearing style of old Doom games. This is similar to the aggressiveness of Bloodborne versus the meticulousness of Dark Souls. I am also reminded of other styles, such as GoldenEye and Perfect Dark. If you pick Agent difficulty, you just have to plant the bomb and book it. If you pick 00 or Perfect difficulty, you have to first find the Manila folder, then slap somebody, and then you can plant the bomb and leave. It doesn’t just play with damage/health values. What are some of your favorite, and also least favorite styles of handling difficulty? I want to hear what the community has to say about this one, too, since there are so many different ways of doing this. Thank you, and take care

Anonymous
>>75868894

This is fun. I hope they pick it and I would love a similar question for Scared Symbols. My answers are: Gears over Jak Halo over God of War Starfield over Horizon Days Gone over SoD Elder Scrolls over TLOU (super tough call there though) Uncharted over Fallout Fable over Spiderman (I'm kinda Marvel'ed out) Sly Cooper over Redfall (but I haven't played either) Ghost of Tsushima would have been one I would easily swap most things for (except Elder Scrolls, Halo or Gears).

Sfish616

Hey guys I had a question and a point I wanted to make. In response to redfall and the shorter marketing cycle I think it could be in response too the prolonged marketing for deathloop and could be in response to that. The question is with the increasing number of devs leaving the big third party’s in particular blizzard and Ubisoft and the large number of new upstart studios I was thinking that the only plausible way to make AAA games for them without having to sign with potentially shady third party’s is to go with either Sony or ms. Look at firewalk and deviation signing with Sony last year to the rumored wu tang game for Xbox from brass lion. I just find it interesting the amount of new studios forming and them leaving one company and probably not wanting to sign another deal with a different third party. This plus the insane amount of investment from both console players and the perceived creative freedom I think will drive these new studios in that direction. Thanks and just wanted your opinion on this. Also for some examples of new studios from alumni of ubi and blizzard include dreamhaven, monster closet, raccoon logic, light forge among a lot of others.

Anonymous

Hey brothers. I wonder if xbox isn't starting to run into an unexpected consequence of the gamepass day 1 deal. While I as a consumer appreciate the delays because it should lead to a better product in the end, those at xbox might become less appreciative if their release calendar continues to change last minute.

Anonymous

Just wanted to write in to say a quick thank you to Matty, after years of recommending kotor i finally decided to jump in on my series x, it truly is a great game and the fps boost makes it sublime.

Normal People (Sacshop)

Ahoy booty pirates Special shout-out to all those games on the best of 2021 lists that they didn't actually play am I right? My question is very simple yet delightfully intricate - is Microsoft capable of encouraging and maturing it's current development studios into something that can really match Sony? We are in dire straights with virtually every major Xbox release either floundering immediately upon release or being a topic of some kind of controversy (looking at you infinite). Can Microsoft get up to that premier level that it once held or are we destined to live in a "best played on Xbox" utopia?

Anonymous

Hey Dukes, This is mostly for Matty but Cog can chime in too of course. With Danganronpa Anniversary Edition coming to GamePass seemingly out of nowhere, is this a good sign for things to come in regards to Xbox getting more Japanese games? Danganronpa has never been on an Xbox platform to my knowledge, and while it might be an older game, having these beloved classics on the platform is a good way to build legitimacy for that market, in my opinion. Thanks for the content as always and I hope you both have great weeks. Play Danganronpa.

Dakota Brown

Hey Matty and Cog- I don’t recall you both talking about this game much when it released, so I’m curious about your opinions. I was reading a review on The Gunk last week and was going to give it a try now that I beat Halo Infinite’s campaign. I remember how much Karak hated the name in the early episodes of this show. I think the premise is cool and it looks like a chill game. Do either of you have plans to play it? Or have already tried it? Thanks and hope you guys have a “I threw up in the toilet and the water in my house wasn’t working” kind of day.

Mike Normal

Hello X boys, I've missed the deadlines to write in several times but I just wanted to say it was great hearing from COG talk about JW and growing up not celebrating a lot of holidays during the pre holiday episode. I grew up pentecostal so I didn't celebrate much. It's not mentioned in the gaming community often! Much appreciated and keep up the great work you both!

Kickstand

What’s up gents. I just want to say thanks for the OG Bond game talk recently, Nightfire and Agent Under Fire were classics for me and my childhood friends. I think this talk got into my psyche as I went on a little Bond spree this past weekend, going back to the Daniel Craig Bond movies through Skyfall, which I was not a fan of originally, but have changed my tune on I think. Matty, I know you mentioned you aren’t a big movie guy, but are there any Bond movies that do stand out for either of you?

gothichellokitty

What's up nerds? With games such as Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, and that Matrix tech demo, are we re-entering the video game tie in era? Have an "I forgot to brush my teeth before going out" kind of day.

Nlindz27

Hey gents, hope all is well. Recently Dad of xbox Jez Corden posted an article on Windows central listing the features xbox players most want to see improced on the system. Game DVR came out on top with OS upgrades and more Japansese game support following close behind. My question is what would you like to see xbox improve this year? For me I think the achievement system needs a complete overhaul. I need to fee like I can compete a game without unwanted DLC taking away my percentage. Cheers all and hope you have a " I didn't wear underpants and my trousers ripped" kinda day.

Anonymous

Dukes! I'm sad. It came to me when I was going through my N64 collection and seeing the whole slew of Rareware classics like Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Conker’s Bad Fur Day, Mickey’s Speedway USA and of-course Banjo Kazooie. It especially hit me hard when I realised that Rare only published ONE single non-Kinect game in the past 14 YEARS, that being Sea of Thieves. I miss the Rare of old. What is going on over there! It’s been years since Everwild got announced and It’s taking so long for Rare to release games. It’s awesome Rare is given so much creative freedom and what seems like little to no pressure from Microsoft. But I feel in this particular case some pressure and guidance would be a good thing. Rare has become Microsofts Media Molecule. And what about all the unutilized Rare IP Microsoft is sitting on. Fans have been clamouring for a new Banjo for decades at this point! Would love to hear your thoughts and possible solutions. Please ease my pain! Love, Julian (Netherlands)

Michael Buffill

Hey Dukes, What will it take for the fanboyism to completely stop? Phil Spencer was asked about Sonys rumored gamepass competitor and threw no shade. His overall answer was along the lines that it will be a good thing for gamers and that he's happy Xbox has been ahead of the curve on what he thinks is inevitable with subscription services. Also to note that Sony is working with Microsoft for Sonys cloud development. They will always be competitors because they are in the same industry but I don't believe they hate eachother the way Sega and Nintendo did back in the day. Thanks and have a thought it was a fart but it was a shart kind of day. UPDATE: in light of recent news the war shall rage on!

The Late Nate

Hey Dukes, It happened, Xbox is pushing for that antitrust suit. Acquiring Activision for 70 billion dollars, elevating Bobby Kotick to space-race level wealthy (side note, what do you think he'll call his space company?). And now, Xbox owns Halo and Call of Duty 2 of the 3 premier FPS in gaming. Bet Sony wishes they renewed that Call of Duty DLC first on Playstation deal now. At this point does Sony buy exclusivity for the next Battlefield? What else can they do to combat this FPS genre domination by Xbox? Cheers boys PS Fuck Rob Manfred

Anonymous

Raise your Dukes! With ATVI officially being acquired, there is of course massive speculation about what this means, for GamePass, workers unionization efforts, etc. Since it's an acquisition, the companies will operate separately, at least for a while. My question to you is: back catalog? With all of that juicy IP available, what back catalog game would you like to see Microsoft fund and bring back to the masses? Personally I'd love to see a modern take on the Pitfall game for the Atari (whatever that could mean which would be nostalgic but fresh). What about yourselves? Thanks!

Anonymous

Hello Duke buds, Beyond all the endless ramifications of Microsoft buying Activision-Blizzard, I have perhaps the most relevant question for the average gamer: will Call of Duty go Xbox exclusive? I can’t imagine even MS would leave bags of money on the table by taking one of gaming’s biggest franchises from Playstation, but who the heck knows anymore? With love, Cody

Anonymous

Ummmmmmmm m…………. HOLY FUCKING SHIT XBOX JUST BOUGHT ACTIVISION!!

Anonymous

So I wrote in before that Microsoft could force Sony out of games with financial leverage and Matty laughed at the suggestion. 70 billion dollars later (~half of sonys market cap) what are the boys feelings on Microsofts ability to dominate the industry financially?

Leo Sanchez

Greetings boys, how about that ABK bombshell? I got a quick question, what’s your wish list of fixes for Activision Blizzard games? For my part, I’m really hoping they can bring Overwatch back from the dead, even if takes cancelling OW2, adding it to their unrivaled, premier FPS lineup. Stay healthy Dukes :)

Ryan Guldner

Hey dukes, quick question, previously the Bethesda purchase was one that xbox could have reason for buying, however the Activision purchase just seems outrageous in terms of dominating a market financially. Any chance this one gets hit with an anti trust law? Also what does this mean for games like cod. As someone whose entire friend base is on Playstation, it will probably be the last time myself and others in a like situation purchase multiplayer games from this company. Any chance they keep any games multiplatform?

Mike Po

Greetings Dukes and Happy Acquisition Day (as I write this). As an Xbox gamer, I am excited to see the flood of value into Game Pass, but I have to ask the question a lot of people in the gaming community are probably thinking: Did Microsoft go too far with this one? Not only did they purchase another one of the last remaining big publishers, potentially removing a lot of games from Playstation gamers, but they purchased *Activision Blizzard* in particular, a company that is currently scandal-plagued and toxic from a PR perspective. I'd be interested to hear your criticisms of this deal, as I imagine other people will ask about all of the positives. Thanks for all you do and have a "Wait they're Keeping Kotick as CEO?!" kind of day.

Lucius Augustus

Hello Dukes, With the very recent news of Xbox acquiring Activision Blizzard King. How do you think that companies impact each other during acquisitions and do you think Xbox will have a good impact on ABK or do you think some of ABK's greedy tactics will spill over to the Xbox side. This news will bring a lot of salt so I can't wait to hear it. Have a, I just woke up to my console of choice buying a terrible company, kind of day.

OTTAPPS

My Dukes, I hope you’re well. We had the nominees revealed for the annual DICE Awards, “the video game industry’s premier, peer-juried awards” (their words not mine). Here are the nominees for Game of the Year: Deathloop, Inscription, It Takes Two, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and Returnal. Where is the outrage for Forza Horizon 5? We all were happy to take a big old dump over The Game Awards for “snubbing” this highly popular title. Picking holes in the process, saying there was genre snobbery at play, all sorts. Your boy Jez even wrote an entire article making proclamations like “To snub Forza Horizon 5 isn’t just a snub for Playground Games, it’s a snub of the creativity of the entire industry”. One of the biggest industry awards just snubbed their own creativity? It has been absolute crickets since the nominations were announced, it can’t only be me who has noticed the distinct lack of outrage on Forza Horizon 5’s behalf for this. Have the “Forza Fun Boys” finally bent the knee now that the industry has had it’s say, were they overreacting or are these awards just not on people’s radar (they should be if you care so much about The Game Awards)? For complete fairness, I will mention that the GDC awards did in fact nominate Forza Horizon 5 for Game of the Year, so maybe that has quelled the bloodlust from the “Fun Boys”. But I am still surprised, given how hard people were willing to go to bat for them last year. Have a “I don’t got $70, let alone $70 billion kinda day”.

Andrew Acrolix

Microsoft buys Activision/Blizzard; discuss.

Anonymous

Hi dukes, Here's the 70 billion dollar question. With the acquisition  of Activision (say that ten times fast) do you think playstation players have a right to be angry or frustrated? There's no reason to believe future unannounced Activision games will be on the Sony platform going forward. Whilst I get business is business I can't help think that if I only had the playstation I'd be frustrated by the amount of future games I thought I'd get to play that I now wouldn't. As an xbox podcast what's your thinking? Have a chipper day.

Glendelman

Hey so uh ... what the fuck? Also, can we get a Prototype sequel now?

Nathan Densley

Gentlemen, first time writing in on this side of the LSM family. What's your personal wish for the new Activision exclusive? Some StarCraft looter shooter where you can buy Spyro skins for the Zerg?

Stephen Forgione

Hi boys, Is a Halo Battle Royale even financially logical now? With call of duty warzone effectively being a Microsoft game, would it make sense for halo to jump in this space, too? That’s all I got, take care and enjoy all the potential microsoft IP skins in warzone and Activision IP skins in halo infinite

Anonymous

Oh dear God why, why.

yosh_wah

Hey Dukes! Welp. Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard. Is it safe to say that Microsoft isn’t playing hardball anymore and they’re just playing unfairly? I mean, what is all this “bring gaming to everyone” rhetoric? It doesn’t make sense. There are other consoles out there, and not everybody can afford more than one. It’s my opinion that this is predatory and gatekeeping on Microsoft’s end. Interested to hear your thoughts. I hope you all have a superb, beautiful day.

Logan

So now that Microsoft owns activison how do you guys feel knowing that outside call of duty, they now own Spyro, Crash, and Prototype? Prototype 3 exclusive to Xbox, maybe they should just make there own superhero world rather than Dc or Marvel.

UnkemptHawk

Hey Dukes, wanted to start off by thanking Cog for praising that Razer Kishi so much on the show! My fiancé got me one for Christmas, and I have to say it’s incredible, I use it almost daily for remote play both from the Series X and through Steam. Thanks again, and I highly encourage others to pick the Kishi up! Now that news is breaking out about Microsoft acquiring Activision Blizzard, what do you think the future of Xbox looks like? Do you think this is a bad move for Xbox as a brand, given Activision’s major controversies regarding workplace harassment? Will we see a return of older franchises, and what does this mean for future exclusivity? I find it hard to imagine Call of Duty being only on Xbox, but who knows?

Chris Dell

What are your thoughts on Microsoft buying Activision?

Mike Po

Also Matty, don't lose sight of this in all of today's acquisition news: https://twinfinite.net/2022/01/danganronpa-trigger-happy-havoc-is-now-available-on-xbox-game-pass/

drew

This is too much. They Almost had me buying a Xbox. I guess they are buying there way to the top.

Gary Huss

How bad is the Microsoft acquisition of Activision for the industry? Will this cause a publisher acquisition arms race where everyone becomes consolidated? This shows MS is willing to go to any lengths to win. For me, it’s BS and I will never own a MS console again or subscribe to GamePass, on principle. MS looks like a big bully at this point. Thanks for the great show guys.

The Snacksquatch

Hey guys, Chris always says Sony has too many 3rd person action adventure games. With Microsoft purchasing activision, it looks like Xbox is going down that road with first person shooters now. Halo, call of duty, overwatch 2, stalker, starfield, doom, wolfenstein. It’s concerning to me that instead of Xbox focusing on the studios they have to put out quality games, they’re focused on buying other companies to do it for them (who haven’t put out quality games themselves in quite awhile). Does this show a lack of talent or faith in what they already have? Halo infinite was their first big games in a long time and it seems like the general opinion is that it was good, but not great. Do you think their approach to quantity over quality will come back to bite them? Sony seems to be making smarter decisions by purchasing exclusives or timed exclusives for sole quality titles (final fantasy 16) rather than taking a whole company off the market for their good, as well as their bad games that comes along with it. Thanks for all you guys do.

Anonymous

Hi, lads. After purchasing Cyberpunk for PS4 pro on launch i continued to hold out on playing it until the next gen patch even when I got my PS5 at launch. Roll onto securing a halo series x in November & a month or so short of the supposedly drop date for the next gen patch I finally caved. I must say, Matty you were spot on with your review. This game is awesome. Great upgrading system, choice & consequence and great writing. If you can deal with the occasional texture and character glitch this game is up there with one of the best. I am so glad I took the plunge and a little annoyed I waited soo long due to reviews. Series X is the best place to play this game currently on console. Have a got stuck in a wall kind of day 👍 Cheers Dave (Wirral, UK)

Anonymous

Howdy Dukes, Do you believe Microsoft’s purchase of Activision will have a positive impact on Activision’s company culture and/or morale after the recent sexual harassment and discrimination allegations?

Anonymous

Well, holy crap! I think the whole show is probably going to be dedicated to the Activision/Blizzard acquisition announcement. My question to the Dukes is if you think this will pass antitrust scrutiny. Given Microsoft's massive purchase of Zenimax, I have to think that this isn't a slam dunk, and regulators will have serious questions about whether this should be permitted to go through. Thanks for your great content, and have a "I just randomly found a $20 in my pocket!" day!

Matthew Ramsaur

Hey Dukes, Well holy shit Microsoft just threw down the gauntlet. With Activision folding into Microsoft in 2023 what changes do you see Phil making internally to those teams. It’s pretty obvious that most of those teams probably don’t want to work on COD and have there own passions. Do we see these teams splitting back off or do you think they will continue to all be support studios of the giant that is Call of Duty? Hope you have a luke warm coffee kind of day.

Anonymous

Hey Dukes, First time, long time. My question is with regards to the implications for gamepass with the recent news of the Activision-Blizzard acquisition. We can confidently say that some longtime xbox titles will now come to the service (COD, Crash, Spyro, Tony Hawk, etc.), but what about the Blizzard IP's? Could we see World of Wacraft subscriptions be folded into PC gamepass? Is this the boost gamepass needed to potentially reach not only sustainable, but profitable levels of operation? All the best, Jack

looper

Hello Dukes! We knew Microsoft would acquire someone, but I think it's fair to say Activision-Blizzard was not on many people's list! Blizzard is the company that got me into gaming, and it is heart-breaking how far this company has fallen (for good reason). What changes are you hoping Phil will implement with Blizzard? Do you want him to take direct control of it or do you think the current leadership is capable of leading Blizzard while Phil just gives advice on the side? Thank you and hope you have a gaming industry is getting more and more consolidated by the day type of day!

Anonymous

Hey dukes with the acquisition of Activision-Blizzard-King do you see this as a strategic move to apply pressure to PlayStation so it eventually allows GamePass on the plataform? Love you best Xbox podcast

Cody Richter

Hey Duke Boys, Does the purchase of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft hurt Sony as much as it benefits Xbox? At first thought, the obvious answer would be yes but I have a counter argument. The future of Xbox is clearly in Game Pass. You guys have talked about the possible future where GP is a built in app on smart TVs, Rokus, etc. Microsoft doesn't care what you play on, they just want you playing Game Pass. Pair that with the fact that a lot of the Playstation Spartacus rumors are heavily focused around backwards compatibility, there could be a future where both Spartacus and GP are available on Playstation hardware. This acquisition is clearly a big win for Microsoft but it might not be the nail in the coffin for Sony that a lot of people see it as. What do you guys think? Is there more to this than what's on the surface or have I lost my marbles with this thought process?

Anonymous

Hey lads, My question is just….what?….they can do that?!

GenDroid

Hey dukes, I don’t know what to say after that news!!

Anonymous

Good tidings, Dukes of Blizzard. Having CoD is a big deal within itself, but it also reminds me of how their studios, like Raven Software, have been constrained to one of the most rote, annualized franchises in the market. Raven was well-known for their work with idSoft and Jedi Outcast in their heyday. So, tinfoil hat time: since KOTOR is a temporary PS exclusive, Xbox has the chance to have a Star Wars revival of their own in a game like Dark Forces from the Jedi Knight series; a classic FPS with deep exploration, and a story-driven mission structure around the same time as the original DOOM. Wishful thinking on my part, but could this be an opportunity for Xbox to allow more creative freedom for those support studios, or will Xbox have a chance at Star Wars in the future? Have a "compulsive annual purchase of that one FPS game" kind of day.

NotSkyWalker

Dearest Dukes, I write to you with a palate-cleanser from the inevitable Activision-Blizzard conversation, As triple A games dominate Q1 of this year, I look to June in wonder, about one game in particular… Spiders’ next foray, Steelrising. A “June” window was provided at The Game Awards, with debut gameplay being recently shown off for Xbox Series Consoles and PS5. Apparently, two prior play-tests have also happened for the game… but I cannot find impressions of these anywhere on the internet. Do we think Spiders will find widespread appeal with this entry? Will someone finally make a brilliant game within the backdrop of the French Revolution? I know Nacom purchased Spiders from Focus Home in 2019, so I wonder if their financial backing could elevate the title. Have a BioWare is purchased by EA kind of day, Aidan

NotSkyWalker
>>75936128

I want to echo just how fantastic and under-appreciated I think Raven is. I know there has been a lot of heartbreak in that studio and justified frustrations after recent lay-offs, so I do hope we can see things course corrected... and perhaps one day see Raven return with their own title in a big way!

everythingevi1

Greetings, Nipple Numbing Matticus and Father of Fitness Cog! Now that Microsoft has acquired Activision-Blizzard, do you guys see the likes of Call of Duty: becoming exclusive to Microsoft platforms, and WoW potentially making the move to Xbox consoles down the road? Obviously this was done with Game Pass in mind. Also, was this a good move on Microsoft’s part, given all the recent, negative press over at Activision-Blizzard? Surely Microsoft thought critically before making this purchase, and I assume the recent rumbling’s of Sony’s Spartacus was the the deciding factor in this acquisition. Love the show! You dudes define my duke on a weekly basis. Thank you, guys!

Anonymous

Favorite ice cream flavor? Mine is Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, even though it hurts my tummy. Please have a "I can't tell if my socks are damp or just cold" kind of day.

Anonymous

Hey Dukes! Long time listener and first time commenter. With the huge surprise of the Activision- Blizzard acquisition and the plethora of opportunities this opens for the Xbox brand, what are the odds we finally stop tossing talented teams into the Warzone machine and see the continued efforts that Spyro and Crash Bandicoot had last gen? Have a "crashing on the couch after a long shift and the remote is on the other side of the room" day P.S. (Phil you better FPS boost Crash Team racing!)

Tyler Bello

Hello Royal Dukes! I know there is going to be conversation around if this is going to far with the purchase of Activision blizzard… but my mind immediately went to how I’ve seen the way Activision treated even their biggest games. World of Warcraft being the best example… they continued to slash that games budget over and over again.. simply because… they didn’t make as much money as candy krush and the other king game offerings.. call of duty as successful as it was.. was on a budget… yes this deal is crazy but we are going to get some greatness out of this! PS. Just to tackle the thought that Phil wants to put Xbox game pass on PlayStation.. If game pass was on PlayStation and you access to all Xbox and PlayStation games then why would you ever buy an Xbox? I just don’t believe that’s the route they are going.

Tacoyaki

what’s going on dude boys! Looks like Microsoft and Activision-blizzard are joining together. What does this mean for Xbox in the long run? Will there be times exclusivity for select games such as cod? Hope you guys have a bbq sauce packet exploded in my backpack kinda day

Anonymous

Fellas, With cogs interest in strategy games how would you feel about playing the StarCraft series on the couch? Better yet: how would you feel about a StarCraft Tactics game? As a long time blizzard fan (not so much recently) I would love to see this type of thing, but I’m curious where you two land. I appreciate you both, I’ll eschew tradition and just say: have a great day!

Anonymous

Hey guys, following the purchase of Activision by Microsoft. Do you think Sony have to retaliate now? I know it's a Sony question on the Xbox Podcast - but I feel like for the "casuals", Call of Duty is massive - if Playstation don't want to get left behind they surely have to pull the trigger on the purchase of a company like EA, to bring FIFA & Madden exclusive and remain competitive for those types of gamers.

Matthew Two T's

Hey boys, Everyone wants to talk about Activision Blizzard. Makes sense but don't you wish this was a couple years out and we had time to see how Bethesda pans out with Xbox? Seems like we're always talking about Xbox's future being bright without really knowing if that's the case yet. Thoughts? Either way get ready for Bubble Cortana and Candy Chief match 3 games.

Anonymous

Hey dukes! Ok Microsoft bought Activision/Blizzard yada yada yada who cares. Let’s get down to the real questions. Who was your first crush as a kid? For me it was Misty from Pokémon. Every time she was on screen, I was glued to her. Then as an young teen, I discovered something called Rule 34. That poor family computer saw things it didn’t need to see and I COULDN’T GET ENOUGH OF IT. I learned real fast how to delete my browser history. Hope you guys got a laugh and have a “loud wet fart in Walmart” kind of day.

DanXcel

Hello, Sorry I’m cheating here I wrote in before todays news. Very simply….If CoD were to be an exclusive, can we see a situation where Xbox uses Call of Duty as leverage? For example, Xbox can say to PlayStation if you want Call of Duty on your platform we want Persona and Final Fantasy? Sorry for the double dip but I had to!!!

Anonymous

Do you think the ABK acquisition will force Sony into buying publishers simply to stop Microsoft from doing so? don’t like the idea of two entities owning everything.

Anonymous

What’s up Dukes of gaming! I listen nearly every week even though I do not own a Xbox currently. I loved my 360 but have not jumped back in since the PS4 era. With this new acquisition from Microsoft buying Activison, it sets up a dangerous landscape of picking sides/platforms because everything is essentially heading to be exclusive to one side or the other. This is definitely going to push Sony into a corner and I think some desperate moves might be made. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised to see GTA6 be made exclusive to Sony, because of all the money GTA has made online, with the vast majority of that profit coming from PC and PlayStation consoles. I could easily see a reality where that’s Sony’s big push. Realizing they can’t compete with these $70 Billion purchases, but leveraging their relationships with key games to make them stay the most wanted console. Are you guys growing concerned with these kind of power moves? Knowing that both sides are going to play to their strengths I’m wondering if gamers will really win in the end when it’s only Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo and Tencent left standing. Have a “your team picked up a huge player and you’re set on a good season, but you still can’t mature your own drafted talent” kind of day. Thanks! James from Colorado

Max - Fifthstring

Dukes of the ever growing round table! The last two acquisitions for Microsoft have come when the companies were at a low point and their future was starting to shake and waver, but is the only option to buy them completely? I'm personally not against these two acquisitions as I don't see it anywhere near monopolistic (it's still consolidation though, 100%) but is there any other options to "step in" and save a dying company? Do you buy off all their IP and give them a contract for no licensing fee's for X- years or do you buy majority stake in the company? Do you sign a "dangerous/all encompassing" contract for exclusivity for x-years or is the safest/humane option to buy them? PS: I deleted my old question to make room for this so if you saw that, sorry - didn't want to double dip! PSS: I feel Sony has more of a monopoly on Anime distribution/streaming/creation than Xbox does on gaming but thats just me

MarkGrouch

All it took was one morning for the industry to be flipped on its head. The future of gaming looks very bleak. Microsoft seems hellbent on going the Disney route and buying up everything it can get it’s hands on. Why do gaming journalists and personalities want this to keep happening besides the fact that it gives them likes on Twitter/views on YouTube?

Anonymous

What’s up guys quick question. With the Microsoft acquisition of activision what do you think they do with call of duty. Keep it multi-platform like they did with Minecraft or make it console exclusive (meaning not on PlayStation still would go to pc).

Greg Hadden

Where were you when gaming is kill

MeatSpin11

We already know what question is going to dominate this thread lol

Fox

Howdy fellas, Do you think World of Warcraft will come to Xbox now? Drop its subscription and be added to gamepass? Wild days we live in. Scary consolidation of the tech oligarchs.

Sean Mason

Hey Dukes, Since Xbox now owns the Crash and Spyro IP, do you think we could see a new Crash or Spyro game in our future? If so, would you want Toys For Bob to work on them, or prefer another team under the Xbox umbrella? Given the critical praise Crash 4 received, I hope Toys For Bob gets another shot. Best, Sean M.

Dang

Ive never played on Xbox and I don't care for AB games but I am incredibly disappointed with this deal. I'm worried about Sonys ability to innovate as a company with this news. This gen just started. MS is going to have a HUGE advantage this gen because of this. Casuals are gonna abandon ps in droves. I guess Phil won. Are you guys honestly excited or happy about this?

Wayde

How worried are you guys about all these acquisitions of massive publishers or game developers disrupting the games industry in a negative way

Jeshua Anderson

Sup fellas! All this fuss about will Xbox lock down Activision games. Meanwhile I'm like "HOW MANY FIRST PERSON GAMES DOES XBOX NEED?!" Gamepass is like First Person mecca. Thoughts fellas? Hope you have a "I bought an Xbox but get motion sickness from First Person games" type day. Jeshua

Anonymous
>>75937901

Neapolitan, the infinity gauntlet of ice cream, is objectively the best ice cream.

Anonymous

Hey Dukes, I'm sure you're getting a fuckton of Activision questions, mine is a simple one, which dead Activision owned IP would you love to see Microsoft resurrect? And which studio would they give it to? The possibilities are endless! Much love and have a 'shit just got real' day!!

Frank G.

WORLD PREMIER: Well we know now Call of Duty isn't gonna be a yearly franchise because Microsoft can't release a game on time to save their God damn lives. WORLD PREMIER: MICROSOFT...as a gamer and Sony Playstation Xbox and switch player. Please save Vicarious Visions.

bix hutch

Hey Dukes! I was wondering what you guys thought about Microsoft studios acquiring Undead Labs?

Stray_Bullets

Hello Dukes, Very first time writing in! The Activision-Blizzard acquisition may immediately seem like an obvious “win” for Xbox. However, the long term value of Activision-Blizzard seems more questionable than it ever has in the past. COD has begun to see diminishing returns in recent years. Diablo 4 may be entering a chaotic remaining stretch of development with the departure of key individuals, potentially squandering the good faith they sought with DII: Resurrected. Several “nostalgia” properties like Crash, Spyro, and Tony Hawk may wear their welcome soon enough. And finally, the very fact that Activision-Blizzard has rested on its laurels, bringing almost no new IP to table barring Overwatch in 2016 (?) If you add this to the current legal disaster they are in: is there really that much gas left in the tank to warrant the price tag?

TrackyMatts

Dear Dukes, what do you think Phil's business case to Satya looked like for the Act/Blizz purchase? Also, do you think this massive acquisition is good or bad for the long term future of gaming? Specifically with regards to healthy competition. - Matt from NZ.

Anonymous

Hey Dukes, Apologies in advance if this inquiry is too long. While there seems to be a lot of positives from the Activision/Blizzard acquisition, I have two questions that I think are worth some discussion: 1) Is this Microsoft admitting behind the scenes their first party output is not going to compete with Sony, so they go all-in on buying third party talent? Halo: Infinite is great but is admittedly unfinished, which does not bode well as their marquee product. 2) Is this Microsoft angling to get so big, Sony has no choice but to allow a version of Game Pass on their platforms? It’s doubtful a game like Call of Duty will ever be exclusive, but would Sony prefer carving off a piece of those sales to Microsoft? Thank you for reading my question, and I hope you both have a ‘I’m on a first date but left my wallet at home so now I have to ask her to pay’ kind of day.

Anonymous

Dukes! Lost in all this Activision Blizzard acquisition information was a little info dump I found interesting. 25 million users are on Xbox Game Pass. Surely that number jumps to 30, decently quickly, after the acquisition news. Right now that’s probably at least $250 million dollars a month of revenue (possibly more depending on how many users have GP Ultimate). My question is this: where do you guys stand on the viability of Game Pass after this news? If anything could give it the boost it needed to reach “Netflix” type status, it’s this acquisition. Colin may disagree, but I think they could be well positioned for the future of the service. Thanks guys and have a glass half full kind of day!

King0fChickens

So, Activision! Definitely the most popular question lol. What Activision/Blizzard IP would you like Xbox to bring back?

Ember's Arcade

Absolutely everyone is talking about the Activision-Blizzard acquisition, so I am tailoring my question towards a segment of the games industry that LSM largely ignores: MMORPG's. With this purchase, World of Warcraft is under new ownership. As the most successful and impactful MMORPG in history, do either of you gentlemen have any thoughts about how this could change one of the longest-running games-as-a-service on the market?

Jordan campos

So, uh.....Have you guys read anything new lately?

Dang

AB has over 400 million subscribers.... That's a fuckton. 10% would double gamepasses numbers. Just saying.

PuppiesOnParade

Jesus fucking Christ, what an episode this is gonna be.

Alex Watson

Hey there Dukes, Between Xbox, Bethesda and Activision, there’s so much opportunity for collaboration between studios and IP. What partnerships would you like to see that didn’t previously seem possible? For me, I’d love to see Playground Games make a Tony Hawk game, Rare make a Spyro game, and Machine Games make a Halo spin off. What about you guys? Thanks, Alex

Anonymous

Hey Duke Boys, I wanted to ask you guys one simple question, how big of a flex would it be if Microsoft announced a new Xbox exclusive Crash Bandicoot Game? Thanks for the great show each week!

Anonymous

This next show is gonna be something YEOWWWW

Anthony A.

Dukes, After the acquisition is complete, I would love for Raven Software to jump off the COD hamster wheel and get back to making great games! Singularity 2 would be awesome!!! Anthony A.

Ian Everett Trout

How goes it, Dukes!? So who do we see buying Sony to compete with Microsoft? Amazon? Tencent? Meta? Seriously, this could happen, though, right?? 😮 Thanks, and I hope y'all have an I-only-play-CoD-and-I-don't-have-an-Xbox-or-PC kinda day! 😊

Anonymous

Hey guys, I’m usually a Sacred Symbols listener (respectfully), but I’ll have to be tuning into you guys for this episode! I have a few questions about your thoughts on the Xbox/Activision Blizzard acquisition, such as what do you think this means for the future of cod titles? Do you think PC/Mobile only games (such as WoW and Hearthstone) will be made available for Xbox in the future? There’s so many possibilities open now that are going to change the gaming space forever and I can’t wait to heard y’all’s thoughts. I hope y’all have a red ring of death kind of day!

Keith Golfer

Does that potential Gamepass price raise come a lot sooner after this Activision deal?

The Devmeister

Holy shit well this thread obviously became all about Activision of course! What’s up Duke and Dukette! My question is simple. They’re obviously going to make activision blizzard games exclusive to Xbox now and we’ll continue to see huge purchases like this from Microsoft. Bethesda and this are obviously huge blows to Sony… But what other companies do you think Microsoft could potentially buy? Do you think the likes of Bungie or Take Two could be within their grasps? Now it seems like nothing is off limits. Love what you guys do keep it up! And I’m a Sony pony haha.

Shadvegas

What’s up dukes, I have a bone to pick with you two: Morrowind is not given it’s proper due by either of you. it was my first BGS game, it’s a masterpiece, and I love it. So here’s my question: are people’s first elder scrolls games always their favorite? It certainly seems so since your favorites are your firsts. I know most people are this way with final fantasy so I would love to hear your thoughts on this or other franchises. Thanks for the great show and I hope you have a “I’m late for work and realized I have an empty gas tank” kinda day.

Anton Kaye

Hey Dukes, I feel like MS is absolutely trying to corner the console market. Where as Nintendo can live on indies and 1st party, I don't think Sony can. This isn't the same as Sony securing Final Fantasy. Square can and does release titles on all platforms. MS buying publishers, closes much more to other console holders. I don't see this merger period stopping anytime soon and I'm not sure, when the dust is cleared, if Sony is still in the console market. I wonder if Phil's comments about politics and free speech, mean something a little different, now that we know that this deal was close to being made when he made them. Thanks for being the best XBOX show out there and have a "I drove to Chick-fil-A and then realized it was Sunday" kind of day

Anonymous

Hey Matty and Cog, If Microsoft ever introduces an achievement equivalent to the platinum trophy, what do you think it should be called? I suggest they name it the Duke. Thanks, and I hope you have a "runny nose with no tissues in sight" kind of day.

Anonymous

Pretty sure this episode just rewrote itself! 😂

Anonymous

Hey Coalition of Ordered Governments and Mathew, In response to the common take of "Why would you root for Microsoft to buy publishers when all they are doing is taking away games from others?" argument, I'd like to offer something I haven't heard anybody put into words yet. The reason that it's exciting when specifically Microsoft makes an acquisition is because they're essentially buying the games for us, the Game Pass subscribers. That is pretty cool if you ask me, and worth celebrating as an Xbox fan. Hope you have a 'the ref waved off icing and now the puck is in the back of your net' kind of day.

MrMattyPlays
>>75880003

Sell them on eBay or Mercari and call it a day. Trading them back to GameStop allows another consumer to grab it off the shelf and those companies get a cut. With the other sites I mentioned, only the seller gets the money so the damage isn't being "recycled."

Anonymous

Hey guys, I'm sure you have talked a lot about what the Activision-Blizzard acquistion will do for Microsoft, but I'd like to take a minute to talk about what this will do for Playstation. An optimistic take on the situation could spin this news into saying Sony needs to step up and compete and an aggressive Xbox will force Sony to do more, but I'm honestly not sure what they can reasonably do to compete with Microsoft going forward. Microsoft is clearly "all in on gaming" and they've completely flipped the gaming industry on its head over the last year and a half by buying 2 of the biggest publishers. With Phil Spencer being promoted to the CEO of Microsoft Gaming, this tells me the acquisition train is not stopping anytime soon. Anyone is on the table now, and anyone could be purchased at any time. While Sony is a huge company, they simply do not have the capital to outbid Microsoft on any purchase. They may be able to leverage their relationships with some studios or publishers to get better deals, but money talks, and Microsoft could double up any offer Sony makes and not lose sleep over it. I don't think we see a situation where Sony is able to keep up in a content arms race with Microsoft, leaving them in a dangerous situation to say the least. All of this is to say, where does Sony find themselves in 5 or 10 years from now? I don't think they're at much risk of becoming the next Sega or Atari and being completely pushed out of the console industry, but I'm not sure if they'll be able to directly compete with MS in the same space. They may have to become more like Nintendo, doubling down on their exclusives, focusing on more niche products like PSVR, and preaching quality over quantity in order to survive. What do you guys think?

Dalton

Hey dukes after hearing about the surprising news on the Xbox purchase I often read the comment on how this isn’t good and no one wins. As a game pass subscriber it’s hard not to see this as a win, my question is there an obvious downside I’m not seeing or are these comments coming from people who don’t want to see subscriptions invade gaming?

Logan

Hey dukes, I know this write-in may get lost in the sea of messages pertaining to the new Xbox acquisition, but this is more of a “short and sweet” thank you. MANY episodes ago Cog recommended Lost Words: Beyond the Page as his gamepass pick of the week, and surprisingly it’s a game I don’t think I will forget anytime soon. The game deals a lot with loss and how we deal with grief of losing loved ones. I lost my father two years and unfortunately wasn’t able to say a proper goodbye, which led to a lot of guilt and anger. No joke this game helped me understand that everything I felt was valid, and helped me finally come to terms with a lot of the emotions I had been experiencing. So without getting too mushy I sincerely thank you for the recommendation and I highly recommend others who are a dealing with loss/grief to give it chance. Thanks guys and keep making outstanding content Logan

Anonymous

Hey Dukes, Ever since gamepass has been around, we know that Phil Spencer would love to have gamepass on every platform, including Playstation. I asked myself, "what would it take to get gamepass on Sony platforms.?"I believe this acquisition is it. What better way to get gamepass on Playstation than to say "Ok, you want Call of Duty? All you have to do is allow gamepass on your console." Now, this is all dependent on Microsoft making COD exclusive, but recent examples have shown that Microsoft isn't afraid of making games exclusive, even worldwide blockbusters. What do you guys think? Thanks for always putting out great content and I look forward to hearing your thoughts. I hope you both have a "I just found and extra fiver in my wallet" kind of day.

NeO JD

I’ll let everybody ask the Microsoft buying Activision questions, but I just gotta hear what Cog’s initial response was. He’s the only one I didn’t see freak out. 😄 Thanks and I hope you guys have a “damn I wanted to bought by Microsoft but now I’m under Tencent” kind of day.

Anonymous

Hi Dukes, Thanks for answering my question two weeks ago and recommending Wasteland 3. Watched some videos and reviews for the game and it looks fantastic! I decided to play it on GamePass but unfortunately, Game Pass is still not available in our country (Philippines). Every Filipino gamer is willing to pay a monthly subscription and make Microsoft a little richer than they are now... So my question is, why is Game Pass not available on some countries? Will it be available soon? Thanks for great content always. Cheers.

Anonymous

Hi both, A short and sweet question.. Do you think Xbox will compete with Nintendo with ensemble games such as a Crash Team Racing and friends, a fighting game in the vain of Smash Bros etc? Nintendo will always keep their large market share but Xbox have a opportunity to branch into family or couch coop type games. I hope this week hasn’t burnt you guys out! Stay safe, Matt

Anonymous

Good morning Dukes! Since you guys have the expertise of speaking many things into existence, I come to you. I'm not sure if anyone else would agree, but having the original Max Payne remade would be awesome. Think of how beautiful that game would be if made with today's engines. I hope you guys have a wonderful week and if you're able to speak this into existence, I will forever be in debt to you both. Thanks again!

Sam Lee

Hello fellows, let's talk about management. Microsoft as of today has 34 studios under their wing, developers love GamePass, Phil is walking the walk and talking the talk and he seems to have a great team behind him. Flight Simulator, Forza Horizon and Halo Inifinite seem to be a sneak peak of what is to come if the Xbox team unleashes their full power. The question is, what potential road bumps and mistakes should the Xbox team avoid or prepare for when it comes to managing all their studios in order to ensure a smooth road to domination and achieve their final form. Have a "I didn't eat enough fibre and I'm feeling the pain" kinda day. Also Xbox, get yo damn ass to my country already!

Anonymous

Hey dukes, So when the Activision deal is said and done does rod furgerson go back to the coalition?? Or bounce between Diablo and gears

Anonymous

Hey Dukes, I’ll keep it short, because you are going to have a ton of questions and comments. Could Xbox use Call of Duty as a bargaining chip for Sony’s timed exclusives. I’ve always saw PlayStation as being more aggressive when it comes to them, so could this slow that down. Thanks and have an ok, but not great, day! Jason

Anonymous

Hey Dukes, Not really a question -- just a request. The SS+ guys already covered the doom and gloom, so can we get some positivity injected into this Activision discussion? We've got a lot (thousands) of talented, creative people in these "organically" grown teams over at Activision who have been dealing with a pretty shitty work environment these last few years. Up until yesterday, I don't recall too many people calling to protect the sanctity of the independent, creative environment of Activision Blizzard. So, some of these negative takes are a bit confusing. I hope they get to experience a turnaround over there. Have a great show and I hope you boys have a - corrupted save file before the final boss - kind of day.

Michael

Good day Dukes. Originally I wanted to write in about how excited I was for Danganronpa to finally come to Xbox, but I have to talk about the Activision-Blizzard acquisition. I’m not even gonna front, I’m primarily a PlayStation gamer. You can call me a fanboy if you want, but I’m actually baffled at why people are celebrating this acquisition, when we are practically watching Xbox become the Disney of video games. People though it was crazy when Disney bought Star Wars for 4 billion dollars. Then they thought it was insane that Xbox spent 8 billion on Bethesda. And now, Xbox has become the third biggest video game publisher, and all they had to do was open the checkbook and spend a measly 70 billion. I’m gonna be honest, I don’t understand how so many Xbox fans can call this a win and ignore all the negative aspects of this. This really reminds me of when Disney swooped in and bought Fox and all the properties it owns and now has absolute control over. Not to mention how deeply involved Activision is with companies such Tencent, and how that is going to start affecting Xbox as a brand and the first party. This isn’t even mentioning all the negative press Activison has gotten within the last 3 - 4 months, which I have no doubt this deal was taking place around since we know how long these things can take. Suddenly that New York Times interview Phil Spencer had last week where he tiptoed around the topic of Activision is starting to make a little more sense. Anyway, just thought I’d try to bring a different perspective to this situation. Thank you guys for being the best and only Xbox podcast I listen to, and I hope you guys have a day filled with micro transactions.

Anonymous

Hello Dukes and Lords! I have a couple of thoughts after the news storm in the gaming world that was yesterday. Firstly, i was thinking back to the interview Phil Spencer did for either the NYT or WSJ last week where he was pressed for his opinion on Activision. And wow did he ever navigate that well! But my question to you is, does CoD still release annually or does Xbox allow those 11(?) studios the same creative freedoms they have afforded all the other studios they have acquired to this point? Personally, I cannot see Xbox making a studio such as Toys for Bob work on another CoD title like Activision has been. But I'm not here for what i think, i want to know what the Dukes think. I love the show, and i wish you both a burger without cheese and a wet bun kind of day.

Anonymous

Good afternoon Dukes, How would this deal effect something like Sekiro? FromSoftware owns the IP I believe. But Activision publishes this game, correct. I'm just don't know how that would work out with Microsoft owning Activision now.

Joe B

Hey Boys, With the Microsoft Aquisition of Bethesda, i have to ask how you feel? Personally, I felt it was a matter of time before Activision was sold since Bobby Kotick wasnt stepping down and wasnt getting forced out, and with Microsoft recently proving their positive culture build with other aquisitions, this seems like the best option. Only other entities i see going after them would be Google or Tencent and both raise too many alarms. Microsoft seems to be the only company who could make the deal, and not ruin the aquisition. Your thoughts? Thanks! - Joe B

Joe B

Hey Boys, I know one of the biggest question that is being asked is "How should Sony respond?" My question is "Can they Respond?" MSFT is still sitting on over $65 Billion in cash, even after this aquisition. What is stopping them from upping the offer on whoever Sony approaches just to prevent a sale or to aquire the said company themselves? We know Bobby Kotick attempted to gauge for higher offers but to no avail. Even Richard Hoeg pointed out that MSFT making Phil Spencer the CEO of MSFT Gaming may mean they will want to invest even heavier and Aquire more. Thoughts? - Joe B

Joe B

Hey Boys, Now that Microsoft has shown us their not afraid to make their big aquisitions exclusive and quick (Starfield, Hellblade,TES6 inferred), what do we think happens with Activisions titles? My guess is everything outside of COD is exclusive to wherever Game Pass Exists, while COD remains on other brands as its like Minecraft and too popular to lock down. I do see COD as a day 1 launch on Game Pass every year it releases. What are your thoughts? Thanks! - Joe B

Anonymous

My Daisy Dukes, No questions this week just wanted to say that I listened to your DDU with Colin about the cancerous growth of Tencent/Level Infinite and loved it. You boys said a lot of what people think but too many in the media are afraid to say for fiscal or political reasons. Sending love all the way from New Xi-Land, Cheers.