Defining Duke, Episode 149 | Xbox Is Doing The IMPOSSIBLE For Blizzard... (Patreon)

It was a bit chilly this weekend as a Blizzard seems to have blown through Xbox. That works, right? Anyway, during Blizzcon, we received a close up look at what's to come for the likes of Diablo, World Of Warcraft, and much more. More importantly is Phil Spencer's stage presence and the subsequent interview done with Blizzard President Mike Ybarra that has grown the expectations of "old Blizzard" making a return. Blizzard Entertainment has long been under the thumb of Activision with much of their decisions funneling through them. Now, Mike and his teams gets to report in to his old pal whom he worked with for almost two decades with at Xbox, Phil Spencer. Otherwise, Xbox has begun to further explore AI game development tools which specifically target the creative aspect of game development. With their substantial lead in cloud tech due to Azure, it's worth asking if this is cause for concern. Plus more on Grand Theft Auto's next entry in the series, Free Radical possibly being shuttered, Xbox's commitment to releasing a big game every 3 months, and so much more!

Timestamps:
0:00:00 - Intro

0:12:30 - Duke’s Dating Advice

0:23:15 - MachineGames has opened a new studio

0:24:37 - Microsoft employees are keeping free access to Game Pass

0:27:27 - Phil Spencer dropped some details in a Famitsu interview

0:39:32 - Alan Hartman has been promoted to Head of Xbox Game Studios

0:43:21 - Blizzcon recap

0:52:04 - New information about Starfield’s voice actors has emerged

1:01:33 - 343 reveals the method to their monetization

1:10:58 - N7 Day brough new Mass Effect info

1:24:20 - GTA 6 will be revealed soon

1:30:59 - Sega’s Super Game is on track for 2026

1:32:41 - More details have surfaced about the 007 Game

1:39:14 - Details on Assassin’s Creed Red have leaked

1:47:44 - Free Radical may be getting shut down by Embracer

1:58:20 - What have we been playing?

2:40:04 - What kind of advertising do we prefer?

2:46:16 - Microsoft is partnering with Inworld AI

3:08:10 - Bloomberg’s new report on Xbox’s acquisition of ABK shines light on the future

3:18:46 - Game Pass Pick Of The Week