Unlocked

Star Wars Outlaws, arguably the first big game to hit Xbox this Fall season, has arrived, and we've got thoughts on what we've played so far. Plus: we discuss some of the biggest announcements to come out of Gamescom (Mafia: The Old Country, Borderlands 4, and others), which games we're most excited about playing for the remainder of this year, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit meg...

Ryan and Destin are joined by Spawn on Me's Kahlief Adams to discuss our extended new looks at two of Xbox's biggest upcoming games: Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, which both Ryan and Kahlief got a lengthy behind-closed-doors look at; and Avowed, which Destin and Kahlief both got to play. We are super excited for both and we want to tell you all about them. Plus: it turns out Indy is a timed...

What’s happening, friends? It is a special gamescom edition of Podcast Unlocked. This week, we've constructed for you a very unique gamescom-specific audio episode this week. Our awesome team at gamescom have put together a number of Xbox developer interviews that we’re going to share with you back to back. Coming up, we have interviews with the developers of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Av...

We've played a bunch of the upcoming Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster and we want to tell you all about why we love what we've played so far. Plus: one of our most anticipated games gets delayed to 2025 but we're happy it'll get the time it needs AND avoid the Fall games rush, Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks gets saved by PUBG publisher Krafton and we're pretty sure we know what game they'll make...

Our Xbox crew discusses why Avowed's delay out of the Q4 holiday season and into early 2025, and why the "problem" of it getting delayed is actually a blessing in disguise for Obsidian's eagerly anticipated first-person RPG. Plus: what Xbox's near-term lineup looks like now after the Avowed and STALKER 2 delays, one of last year's best games comes to Xbox One for those who haven't upgraded to a Se...

Parris Lilly from Gamertag Radio joins Ryan and Destin to discuss a number of Xbox topics this week, from the cancellation of the Paramount+ Halo TV series – which leads to a discussion about how important of a franchise Halo is to Xbox these days, and what the most important franchises are to Microsoft now – to Xbox's mixed-results financials, the devastating layoffs at Bungie, and more! Learn mo...

Xbox just dropped the best gaming controller we've ever seen in the literal form of Deadpool's ass! We discuss how much we adore Xbox's cake-tastic new gamepad and implore Microsoft and Marvel to make more of the one-off sweepstakes prize so we can buy one. Plus: we make our Xbox Gamescom predictions for next month's big event, Xbox Game Pass's upcoming lineup has a head-scratching gap in it, and...

We had some fun this week and talked about 10 dream Xbox games we'd love to see Microsoft's massive collection of studios make, from a Halo horror game to giving one particular underrated Activision studio a chance to crack the code on a big-budget Superman game. Plus: Xbox raises Game Pass prices and reshuffles some of its tiers in a frustrating and confusing way, and more! Presented by Wendy’s S...

This episode is all about the remakes we're cautiously optimistic about (Assassin's Creed...but which ones?), the remasters we're excited about (Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster), and the reboots we're left scratching our heads over (Crazy Taxi). Plus: what we expect from the just-confirmed Resident Evil 9, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Xbox says it's going big at this year's Gamescom event, so we discuss what we think to see and what we hope to see. Plus: why we're thrilled about Capcom's just-announced Dead Rising 1 remaster, why we doubt that Beyond Good & Evil 2 will ever be released despite Ubisoft's statements to the contrary, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Because the Xbox Showcase was SO GOOD this year, our 30-minute live reaction show from Sunday just wasn't enough. So we regrouped and talked for upwards of two more hours about all the big games, from Doom: The Dark Ages to Gears of War: E-Day to Fable to Perfect Dark to Black Ops 6 and so, so many more. Then we lay out how phenomenal the next year and a half of Xbox exclusives and Xbox Game Pass...

After directing two fantastic Star Wars Jedi games at Respawn, Stig Asmussen has embarked on a new adventure: Starting AAA studio Giant Skull. IGN's Ryan McCaffrey sits down with Stig to talk about why he left Respawn, what to expect from his next project, and his goals for creating a healthy work culture at Giant Skull amidst a turbulent time in the video game industry. Learn more about your ad c...

Join us for an exclusive live interview at IGN Live with Xbox's Phil Spencer and a panel of top game developers. In this deep-dive session, we explore the latest Xbox strategies, the impact of recent studio acquisitions, and what the future holds for Xbox and its fans. From discussing major titles like 'Halo Infinite' to addressing community concerns and revealing insights into upcoming Xbox proje...

In this very special IGN Live analysis of the summer Xbox Showcase, we break down each announcement, from blockbuster game releases to unexpected surprises, and discuss their impact on the gaming landscape. The Podcast Unlocked crew, including Ryan McCaffrey, Miranda Sanchez, Stella Chung, and Destin Legarie, discuss key moments from the showcase, offering insights and reactions that you won't fin...

Today we’re diving into the best of Unlock-Block trivia. Join us as we relive some of the most memorable moments from past shows. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The first officially announced Xbox Series game ever, Hellblade 2, has finally arrived, and we've played it! Join us for a spoiler-free discussion of Ninja Theory's stunning new Senua adventure. Plus: Activision opens a new AAA development studio with a narrative-driven focus, this year's Call of Duty looks set to drop straight onto Xbox Game Pass, Grand Theft Auto 6 gets a narrowed-in release win...

Today we’re diving into the best of Unlock-Block trivia. Join us as we relive some of the most memorable moments from past shows. EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/unlockd Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is much cheerier than the last one as the news is (for the most part) much better! For instance, a new statement from the president of Square Enix strongly suggests that Xbox players will no longer be left behind on future Final Fantasy game releases – or any other game Square Enix makes. Plus: rumors of a new Doom being revealed at the upcoming Xbox Showcase heat up as Ryan implores...

Another devastating wave of Xbox layoffs results in the closure of three Bethesda studios, including the makers of last year's shadow-dropped hit Hi-Fi Rush and the decorated developers of Prey. We do our best to make sense of the move from Microsoft, a company that has spent the better part of the past decade trying to add talent and get more exclusive games on its platforms. EXCLUSIVE NordVPN De...

Join us for our reactions to the most exciting and interesting games (of the many, MANY exciting and interesting games) to come out of IGN's ID@Xbox showcase. We gave our excited impressions of Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, Vampire Survivors' Contra DLC, Dungeons of Hinterberg, Jackbox: Naughty Pack, Stampede: Racing Royale, Palworld's new update, Commandos: Origins, 33 Immortals, and the bizarrely...

Destin and Ryan dive into the most pleasant surprise of the week: an announcement of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, plus a fantastic reveal trailer to accompany it! We talk a bit about the first game and why we're so hyped for this one – plus why this Fall is suddenly looking mighty good for fans of first-person fantasy RPGs. Plus: Halo Infinite gets another excellent update that leads us into a dis...

On this week's Podcast Unlocked, we're discussing the fallout of Fallout! Yes, the Prime Video TV show is a huge hit – and it's really fantastic to boot. We tell you (in spoiler-free terms) why we love it so much, and then talk about the positive effect it's having on the player counts in ALL of the other Fallout games, many of which are available on Xbox Game Pass right now. Plus: the next wave o...

A new Fallout Show is receiving rave reviews. Xbox is "Full-Speed Ahead" on Next-Gen hardware. And reports say that an Xbox game preservation team is being built to keep the games we love for years to come. There's been a lot of positivity in Xbox news this week and we bring on Brad Sams and Parris Lilly to discuss the latest. In addition to all of this, Gears 6 rumors are swirling alongside a rum...

Hollow Knight: Silksong has been the hot topic amongst its fans since its announcement back in 2019. This April Fools, a listing was made on the Microsoft store for Silksong with minimal details. We discuss whether or not this means there's hope on the near horizon for the sequel along with Microsoft's new chatbot AI testing, No Man's Sky updates, and the new gamepass games for April. EXCLUSIVE No...

Based on a recent interview, it seems like Phil Spencer has been thinking a lot about a possible Xbox handheld. We discuss what we'd want from it – noting that we would VERY MUCH want it – and wonder if it could end up being a Switch-like replacement for the Series S in the next console generation. Plus: Elder Scrolls 6 is already playable at Bethesda, but we're hoping the team is doing some serio...