Defining Duke, Episode 107 | Joe Staten Has Left 343 - A Major Shakeup Hits Halo
Added 2023-01-19 17:00:06 +0000 UTCMicrosoft CEO Satya Nadella announced this week that Microsoft would see 10,000 layoffs by the end of March 2023. Among those affected are those working within Xbox and Bethesda. According to various reports, the teams impacted within the gaming division are both 343 Industries and Bethesda Game Studios. However, one person has chosen to leave and was Halo Infinite's last standing beacon of hope: Joseph Staten. Joe is the one responsible for getting the team in order at 343 to help "land the plane" in time for launch. It is clear now as more and more senior leadership makes their departure that 343 is facing the most restructuring of all the current first party studios. The Dukes get into the unfortunate layoffs as well as what the impact could be on games like Halo Infinite and Starfield. Otherwise, we have more insight on expected release dates for the Xbox's Developer_Direct which is set for next week and how High On Life 2 may no longer be in Xbox's best interests after recent developments involving Justin Roiland.
Timestamps:
0:00:00 - Intro
0:08:04 - Defining Duke Statistics
0:10:34 - A gas station PSA
0:11:46 - Some headphone advice
0:14:24 - Why won’t Cog play games?
0:27:52 - Starfield has been updated to “coming soon” on Steam
0:30:11 - It’s the one year anniversary of the Activision deal announcement
0:32:54 - Netease has turned down an extension on their publishing deal
0:33:41 - Everwild gets an update
0:34:57 - Is Level 5 coming back to the west?
0:35:57 - The Joint Fire Event in Halo Infinite is live
0:36:15 - Scalebound rumors are picking up
0:38:31 - Suicide Squad may be a live service game
0:43:00 - Beyond Good and Evil 2 is still in development
0:43:56 - Atomic Heart performance expectations have been released
0:45:51 - The Callisto Protocol missed its sales target and left developers out of the credits
0:49:29 - Halo Wars 2 cracked the UK Boxed Weekly Sales
0:50:31 - Persona 3, 4, and 5 are officially all on Xbox
0:50:55 - What we’ve been playing
1:04:33 - Could Contraband help Xbox’s second half of 2023?
1:07:44 - Which Microsoft property should get an HBO show?
1:13:46 - What will be more controversial; HogLeg or Six Days In Fallujah?
1:25:17 - Microsoft is laying off 10,000 employees
1:47:03 - Exciting updates will be at the Developer Direct
1:52:43 - Justin Roiland has been charged for domestic violence and accused of more
2:01:59 - Game Pass Pick of the Week
2:09:25 - What are our favorite midnight release memories?
Comments
Ichiban sucks?! Matty, you lost me there fam. #CalloutDD
NeO JD
2023-01-28 11:54:35 +0000 UTCHey all! Im the one who wrote in about the open back/closed back headphone suggestion for this weeks episode. i wanted to share the cheap yet impressive pair ive been using, and also a really awesome deal you should jump on. Apologies for the lateness, had quite a busy week. Philips Audio Fidelio L2 Over-Ear Open-Air Headphone 40mm Drivers- Black https://a.co/d/7u6CYgh SENNHEISER HD 559 Open Back Headphone - Black https://a.co/d/30iI6DQ
SimplyNotReally
2023-01-22 21:35:10 +0000 UTCI know, I’m just kinda disappointed that they don’t read as many inquiries as they used to, I’m no stranger to not getting my inquiries read, it’s about 1/4 but I was sure of this one, ya know? That interview is legendary and gives a look into Bethesda we don’t often see
Captain Bon Clay
2023-01-20 22:51:49 +0000 UTCThey can't pick everyone's question homie
Joshua
2023-01-20 22:42:02 +0000 UTCI miss living in NYC. Me and my friend went to RAW at MSG and that was night the invasion started and I remember it being chaos. Then we went to Virgin and met Mos Def randomly during the midnight release of Unbreakable. I miss that place sometimes.
Michael Mashpotato
2023-01-20 17:07:59 +0000 UTCCog… everytime Matty dogs on dragon age gameplay/mission structure, he’s also talking about your beloved Mass Effect. Greatest game of all time, IIRC. I gotta hear this addressed. Does Matty feel the same about the Normandy he does about the war table?
Kenneth Koepnick
2023-01-20 15:23:26 +0000 UTCIf Microsoft is targeting under delivering employees, they should shutter 343.
Gabriel Baker
2023-01-20 09:20:00 +0000 UTCWow I’m surprised 2 weeks in a row my question was skipped, it had Bethesda and elder scrolls so I assumed it would be a perfect hit for the podcast but oh well I tried ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Captain Bon Clay
2023-01-20 08:05:42 +0000 UTCI know Joeseph tried but I imagine at some point he thought he was too old for this shit.
There’s No I in LLC
2023-01-20 06:41:51 +0000 UTCCog was the final push over the edge with midnight suns for me, too. Man, that game understood the assignment and then did extra damn credit on the marvel lore. More please! It’s a masterpiece.
NoodleBarone
2023-01-20 06:36:42 +0000 UTCMatty Freeza sells the planets.
Russell Robinson
2023-01-20 03:30:17 +0000 UTCDefinitely want that Somerville spoilercast Cog! I went through weird ups and downs with that game. First 25% I liked it, the middle I loved it, the ending I didn’t like lol. I have no idea what that was. Would love to hear your take 👍🏻
Dylan Michael
2023-01-20 00:49:21 +0000 UTCI agree with you, Matty, on A Plague Tale: Requiem. I don't think a spoilercast makes sense. If there's an open week for it, then cool, but I don't think it should be a. high priority.
Quinnton from Seattle
2023-01-19 22:38:17 +0000 UTCYou can also try bone conduction headphones for your gym workout too no damage to your inner ear the sounds conducted through your skull. Also talk to fightincowboy about monster hunter man’s is the goat
Downhome65
2023-01-19 21:05:22 +0000 UTCThank you! - Cog
The Iron Lords Podcast
2023-01-19 20:36:54 +0000 UTCI never pre-order games but I did for HogLeg. I usually wait for the Opencritic score before pulling the trigger. As the quality of reviewers at big sites has gone way down over the last few years, this will be a moment that hurts their credibility more than ever. It's safe to assume this game isn't going to be reviewed or discussed fairly so the only way to know for sure of it's quality is to see for myself. I'm genuinely looking forward to the meltdowns from these clowns when it's #1 on all sales lists.
Jeremy Craves
2023-01-19 20:20:06 +0000 UTCKudos on the headphone advise ❤️
Namistai25
2023-01-19 18:15:54 +0000 UTCHow can anyone not feed off the positive vibes Cog gives off? Only a few minutes in but glad you had such a good time at that show Cog, you da man!
Hoodie Season
2023-01-19 17:58:43 +0000 UTCGlad you guys caught this news in time. Looking forward to what you both have to say, and if you see as anxious as it seems a lot on social media seem to be.
Guns vs Kittens
2023-01-19 17:06:51 +0000 UTC
