Defining Duke, Episode 159 | Our Thoughts On Xbox's Developer_Direct 2024... - Did It Deliver?! (Patreon)

As tradition dictates, Xbox has opened the year with their Developer_Direct. We saw gameplay from Avowed, Hellblade 2, Ara History Untold, Indiana Jones and The Great Circle, and even had a surprise appearance from Square Enix! With the roadmap set for the year, how do the Dukes feel about Xbox's showing? Is this enough to satiate them? Did Avowed improve from its initial showing? Will Hellblade 2 deliver a masterful experience worthy of the wait? Are the lacking of release dates concerning? We get into all of it and, naturally, so much more! We also dive into the budding conversation of Xbox games leaving the platform as Satya Nadella has seemingly indicated that with Activision in the fold, Xbox will be bringing games to beyond their platforms. If that really is the case, what does this symbolize for the future of the brand? As always, the economics of this situation is sure to bring out the best in all of us. Plus, a S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 release date, more additions to PC Game Pass, Starfield's "biggest" update yet, Smite 2 (!) announced, and so much!

Timestamps:

0:14:12 - Before We Begin/Follow-Ups

0:45:56 - STALKER 2 has been delayed

0:50:24 - Could Final Fantasy VII Remake come to Xbox?

0:56:28 - Frostpunk 2 is coming to PC Game Pass

0:57:58 - Raven is working on a sequel to a classic IP

1:02:37 - More Gears collection rumors

1:07:25 - Elder Scrolls Castles officially announced

1:11:19 - Biggest Starfield patch revealed with over 100 fixes

1:17:16 - Smite 2 announced, closed alpha Spring 2024

1:24:20 - 10 SEGA Classics greenlit

1:30:32 - Halo BR reportedly canceled?

1:37:56 - What We’re Playing

1:56:49 - What happened to writing in video games?

2:07:25 - What are our expectations for Persona 3 Reload?

2:16:22 - Xbox Developer Direct Recap

3:26:04 - Game Pass Pick of the Week

3:33:13 - What games are great to show how captivating they can be?