Defining Duke, Episode 117 | The Death of E3 Is Upon Us (Patreon)

There's no denying the Dukes have tried to rally behind E3, but doubt began to seep in following Xbox's exit from the show floor. This week, we learned of three major players pulling out of E3. Those being SEGA, Ubisoft, and Tencent. With reports from IGN stating that there has been next to zero communication from the ESA and ReedPop as well as no one else attending, it very well may be curtains for E3. What comes next to fill E3 shoes and what led to the fate of a once prestigious and celebrated show? Elsewhere, we get into the thick of it following a letter submitted to the Biden administration by 11 members of Congress. Have the tables turned? It's possible as one of Xbox's greatest opponents in approving the deal, the CMA, looks to be moving toward an approval. Meanwhile, Japan gives the deal a thumbs up, ID @ Xbox is printing physical games, Hellblade 2 looks incredible, Redfall sees numerous important updates as it approaches launch, and Game Pass drops its $1 deal. Join us in another plump week of gaming news!

Timestamps:

0:00:00 - Intro

0:03:41 - Reviews

0:07:48 - What is the worst flight experience we’ve had?

0:15:33 - The Last Ronin game is in development

0:26:30 - Game Pass for $1 is ending

0:35:09 - A UE5 facial capture demo for Hellblade 2 was shown off at GDC

0:40:59 - Redfall updates

0:51:01 - Sarah Bond Tweeted about LoTR

0:52:57 - Chris Avellone’s libel case has been settled

1:02:49 - Mark Darrah is back as a consultant for Dreadwolf

1:12:43 - Microsoft Rewards is changing

1:20:49 - Multiverse’s open beta is closing

1:27:07 - Final Fantasy XVI gameplay was shown at PAX East

1:33:11 - Resident Evil 4 has sold three million copies in two days

1:33:48 - Ubisoft unveiled their AI tool called Ghostwriter

1:40:53 - The Fallout TV show wrapped filming in March

1:41:22 - Party Animals has received an ESRB rating

1:41:51 - Epic has revealed Unreal Editor for Fortnite

1:42:38 - Saints Row is getting multiple expansion passes

1:43:16 - Atomic Heart has reached 5 million players in under a month

1:43:44 - Metal Gear Solid 3 Remake is now a 2024 title

1:44:13 - Playground Games’ co-founder has started a new studio

1:46:31 - LEGO 2K Drive is a live service game

1:48:00 - What have we been playing?

2:16:37 - What are some of our favorites from PAX East?

2:32:55 - Does Tears of the Kingdom look underwhelming?

2:39:35 - Multiple publishers have pulled out of E3

2:52:36 - Congress is getting involved in the console wars

2:59:43 - The CMA appears to be moving towards approval of the ABK deal

3:10:39 - ID @ Xbox is clearing the way for physical indie games

3:14:18 - Game Pass Pick of the Week

3:21:10 - Why are the Trails games not on Xbox?