Defining Duke, Episode 106 | Xbox’s New January Showcase Is a Game Changer

Fans of the platform have long been accustomed to Xbox's lack of communication. To many, it seemed like the first half of the year flat out didn't exist for the company when it came to major showings or releases of games. With the announcement of Developer_Direct, it is the start of a new chapter as Xbox has two planned out. The first will feature heavy hitters such as Redfall, Minecraft Legends, Forza Motorsport, and Elder Scrolls Online. The second Developer_Direct will be a standalone show fully dedicated to Starfield. With a fluid format providing updates on highly anticipated exclusives and an inevitable summer showcase, Xbox fans are going from being left in the dark to three major showings from the company. This is a contrast to an otherwise anemic 2022. Beyond that, we have more details on a game will be seeing a lot of on January 25th: Redfall. According to Arkane, Redfall leans heavily into its Far Cry inspiration -- a major point of conflict between Matty and Cog. What the Dukes do agree on is the staggering response to a lighter yet higher quality drop of titles into Game Pass for the month of January. Plus, our least favorite encounters in a public setting, Cog answering the bell for his lack of Deathloop completion, and more important subjects fill out an already busy week!

Note from Matty on the repost: So, we have a great scoop in today’s episode and me, being a professional moron, misspoke not once but TWICE on it. In the day and age of clips, I didn’t feel like a pinned comment would alleviate this issue, so we’re adjusting properly with a quick pick-up/editing adjustment. You’ll know the area when you hear it.

Timestamps:

0:00:00 - Intro

0:02:44 - HOEG!

0:05:47 - A note about the future of DDU

0:15:20 - Did Cog really not finish his GOTY?

0:19:27 - What are our out-in-public pet peeves?

0:26:21 - Forza Horizon 5 is getting a Series X bundle

0:26:43 - PlayGround Games devs depart for their own studio

0:39:52 - Halo was the #1 show on Paramount in 2022

0:40:24 - 343 says the Halo Infinite roadmap is still on track

0:40:54 - NetEase has acquired SkyBox Labs

0:42:00 - The CMA has extended their investigation period

0:42:29 - Skull and Bones has been delayed… again

0:48:49 - Xbox + Oreo

0:55:29 - What we’ve been playing

1:10:53 - What are the pros and cons of Bethesda Studios splitting up into multiple teams?

1:16:58 - Will Bethesda or Activision define Microsoft more?

1:19:30 - Are we excited for HogLeg?

1:31:16 - An Xbox Showcase is coming January 25th

2:14:34 - More Redfall details have dropped

2:41:11 - Coming soon to Game Pass

2:58:50 - Game Pass Pick of the Week

3:04:30 - Why are devs using Unreal instead of their own engines?

3:14:19 - Are gamers spoiled?