Defining Duke, Episode 121 | The Xbox-Activision Deal Is Blocked - What's Next? (Patreon)

As the bad news snowballed for Xbox in recent weeks, it felt like fans could at least hang their hat on the Activision deal seemingly trending in the proper direction. Well, that seems to have gone south too. The UK regulatory body known as the CMA has moved to block the merger of Xbox and Activision due to cloud based concerns. With the FTC and CMA collectively against Microsoft, their sliver of hope rests on the impending decision of the EU regulatory body. Xbox certainly wasn't in a position to rest on their laurels and if the worst comes to pass then it's doubly so the case. Beyond the usual doom and gloom, The Dukes peer into this potential reality where the deal is outright canceled. What is Xbox to do if Activision isn't part of their future? Do they go scorched earth on third party deals or seek internal investment? We won't have to wait long to find out as a potential pin in the balloon awaits us ahead of the 2023 summer showcase for Xbox. Plus, a final gutcheck on Redfall before release, a deep look into the truth behind Xbox's financials, many first party studios have multiple games in development, a surprise update on Gears 6, hands-on impressions with the ASUS ROG Ally, and so much more in this jam packed episode of Defining Duke!

Timestamps:

0:00:00 - Introv

0:04:29 - Reviews

0:08:57 - Correction

0:10:02 - Grounded Update 1.2 is here

0:12:34 - Age of Empires is coming to Age of Empires 2

0:16:05 - Dead Island has surpassed 1 million copies sold

0:19:15 - Armored Core 6 may be launching on August 25th

0:21:37 - Redfall is available for pre-download

0:26:11 - Deathloop was selected over Dishonored 3

0:32:13 - Starfield merch is here

0:35:20 - Microsoft is working on a sequel that will take a decade to develop

0:37:29 - Quantum Break is back

0:39:53 - Alan Wake 2 is nearing completion

0:42:59 - Tango Gameworks has a multiplayer game in development

0:48:03 - Bomb Rush Cyberfunk will release on August 18th… but not on Xbox

0:50:26 - THQ Nordic’s Digital Showcase returns on August 11th

0:53:03 - Compulsion Games may have a second game in the works

1:00:51 - The ASUS ROG ALLY launches May 11th

1:14:37 - Powerwash Simulator is getting a physical release

1:16:30 - Fable is in the testing stages

1:17:29 - Another Diablo 4 beta is on the way

1:18:20 - Bungie’s new PvP game could be built in Unreal

1:23:22 - Gears voice actors don’t know anything about future games

1:31:07 - What have we been playing?

2:01:16 - Gutcheck on Redfall?

2:08:37 - Why do we talk about things that don’t relate to Xbox on an Xbox show?

2:13:26 - The CMA has moved to block the Xbox-Activision

2:59:32 - Xbox says Hi-Fi Rush was a success

3:11:20 - Game Pass Pick of the Week

3:15:36 - Are we okay with AI doing voice work for games?