Unlocked

We all played a ton of the Diablo 4 beta this past weekend, and we were all also lucky enough to play Redfall recently as well. We've got a LOT of thoughts about both. Join us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hitman developer IO Interactive is starting to talk about its new online fantasy-RPG project. Plus it's got a James Bond 007 game in the works. We discuss those, and then debate whether or not they might -- or should -- be Xbox's next acquisition target. Plus: Zombie Telltale is saying all of right things about its decision to delay The Wolf Among Us 2 into next year, guest panelist Cameron Hawkin...

Starfield finally has a release date, so we kick off the show discussing why this new September window makes a lot of sense for Bethesda Game Studios's next big RPG. Plus: we share nine moves we think Xbox should make in 2023, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tons to talk about this week! We start by discussing our disappointment in the new gameplay showcase for Rocksteady's Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Then we analyze Tango Gameworks founder Shinji Mikami's departure from the studio and why we think The Evil Within 3 is still happening. Plus: Mortal Kombat 12 gets announced in an unexpected way, Call of Duty will get a full-game release thi...

Microsoft makes 10-year deals to bring Call of Duty to other platforms with not one but TWO different companies in an effort to get regulators to approve the Activision-Blizzard acquisition. We discuss how Microsoft might be nearing the endgame of this corporate chess match. Plus: we're stoked for the Diablo 4 beta, Ubisoft makes a puzzling statement about attending E3, and more! Learn more about...

Microsoft admits in a court filing as part of the proposed Activision-Blizzard acquisition that game sales suffer when games get added to Xbox Game Pass. We discuss why it doesn't really matter, why Game Pass matters for games both big and small, and more! Plus: why Kotick has to go if the acquisition is approved, Dead Island 2's release date changes AGAIN (but for the better this time!), and plen...

A busy week of Xbox news has us discussing the recent cancellation of a secret Titanfall single-player project at Respawn and why we sadly may never see Titanfall again. Plus: live-service multiplayer games are getting shut off left and right, so what does it mean for the industry? Also: how will DC's plan to integrate video games into the DCU go over with developers, MLB The Show 23 adds a wonder...

Now that we've had a week to play Hi-Fi Rush and see the incredible viral reaction to it, we had a deep and extended conversation about Tango Gameworks' surprise rhythm-action release. We discuss why it was exactly what Xbox was needed, whether we might get a sequel, and more. Plus: the second half of the podcast is dedicated to an equally deep and heartfelt conversation about the state of 343 Ind...

We recorded Unlocked immediately after Microsoft's Xbox Developer Direct presentation this week. These are our in-the-moment reactions to the excellent presentation, from the deep-dive on Redfall (including a May 2 release date to look forward to) to another look at the gorgeous Forza Motorsport (though it came without any release date attached) to the surprise new game from Tango Gameworks, Hi-Fi...

Spawn on Me host/creator Kahlief Adams returns to Unlocked to tell us all about Spawn on Me's upcoming awards show, The Spawnies. He then sticks around as we all make our predictions for next week's big Xbox Developer_Direct event. We predict release dates and a whole lot more!   00:00:00 - Intro & Kahlief Adams for The Spawnies!00:26:29 - Xbox Developer Direct Predictions!00:47:29 - Outro Learn m...

Microsoft has finally confirmed a Developer Direct event that will showcase Redfall, Forza Motorsport, Minecraft Legends, and Elder Scrolls Online with a separate standalone event for Starfield coming at a later date. This will be a deep dive into the games with much less presentation and more gameplay according to the team at Xbox. As the titles listed are promised for the first half of 2023 we c...

00:00:00 - Intro & Housekeeping 00:06:04 - Xbox Predictions for 2023 00:35:24 - QA Workers at Zenimax form a union 00:41:20 Xbox Games With Gold 00:48:32 Trivia! 00:52:32 Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our last episode of 2022 focuses on our personal favorite Xbox games of the year. From the biggest AAA blockbusters to the smallest under-the-radar indies, these are the 10 games we enjoyed the most on our Xboxes in 2022. Plus: Microsoft's latest salvo in the ongoing battle against the regulators AND Sony in the quest to get the Activision-Blizzard acquisition approved manages to make Sony look ba...

High on Life has arrived, and it closes out Xbox Game Pass's 2022 on a high note! We rave about Justin Roiland's comedy-FPS and discuss what we love about it. Plus: we share our frustration about Xbox's no-show at The Game Awards last week, and why we feel like it was the straw that broke the camel's back for many Xbox fans.   00:00:00 - Intro & Housekeeping 00:07:29 - High On Life Impressions 00:...

Xbox has decided to increase the prices of their next-gen games created specifically for the Xbox Series X|S hardware to $70. This is after being priced at $60 for the last 16 years. Phil Spencer had teased a price increase for either the console, Xbox Game Pass, or their games shortly before this announcement. This week the Unlocked crew reacts to the news and also the surprising agreement Xbox a...

Marvel's Midnight Suns creative director Jake Solomon joins us to discuss Firaxis' new superhero strategy-RPG -- including a couple of Easter eggs that big Marvel fans should look out for. Plus: Todd Howard gives a vague hint about what to expect from MachineGames' Indiana Jones game, we've got ideas for how to reinvigorate Xbox Games With Gold, and more! 00:00:00 - Intro & Housekeeping 00:03:00 -...

As Ubisoft Toronto developers discuss their design philosophy behind the Splinter Cell Remake and show off a bit of concept art, we react to their plans for Sam Fisher's long-awaited return. Plus: Dead Island 2 gets delayed again, Sonic the Hedgehog's co-creator gets arrested, Phil Spencer's "Call of Duty on PlayStation" press tour continues, and more!   00:00:00 - Intro 00:03:39 - More Splinter C...

Our Xbox crew mourns the passing of legendary longtime Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy, discussing how his presence and performance in the Batman: Arkham games helped elevate not just those games but the entire superhero game genre. Plus: our impressions of this week's new Xbox-exclusive releases Somerville and Pentiment, CD Projekt Red shares notable news on both Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3'...

Join Stella Chung, Parris Lilly, Gary Whitta, and Destin Legarie on covering the big news that Netflix announced a Gears of war movie and adult animated show in partnership with The Coalition, talking about the Halo Infinite Winter Update, and Take-Two Interactive’s new milestone with Red Dead Redemption 2 and GTAV.   00:00:00 - Intro & Our Thoughts on a Gears of War Movie/Series from Netflix 00:2...

Subscribe to the horror series set in the universe of “The Callisto Protocol,” the hotly anticipated game from Striking Distance Studios.   Helix Station was once the jewel of the Jovian system, but it’s been a decaying ghost ship ever since its Carpenter drive went supercritical. When a dangerous escaped criminal seeks refuge there, officers of the Black Iron Prison force a pair of veteran skip t...

Phil Spencer went on quite a press tour this week, leaving us with a lot to discuss, including: a definitive end to the Call-of-Duty-on-PlayStation debate (or is it?), the ongoing Xbox first-party exclusive game drought, the prospect of price increases on Xbox hardware and/or software and/or services, and more! 00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:42 - Phil Spencer & Call of Duty’s Future on PlayStation 00:12:2...

Fallout 4 is getting a next-gen update for Xbox Series X|S, but is it going to be the only Fallout we get on this generation of Xbox consoles? We lament just how far away Fallout 5 probably is. Plus: Xbox sales figures continue to impress, we're concerned about the departures of the Rocksteady co-founders, and more! 00:00:00 - Intro & Fallout 4 Next Gen News! 00:17:10 - Xbox Sales & Game Pass are...

The Microsoft-vs.-Sony drama over Xbox's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard took another turn for the weird this week. We examine each company's latest effort to hilariously downplay themselves and talk up the other guy. Plus: our quick impressions of the just-released Xbox exclusive Scorn and the next-gen only, Game-Pass-day-one stealth adventure A Plague Tale: Requiem; Obsidian's future...

We finally get some real numbers from Xbox Game Pass, including how much revenue it generated last year and how much Xbox is paying for the Ark games on Game Pass. Plus: one of the developers of Scorn joins us to discuss the imminent new body-horror adventure game, and more!   00:00:00 - Intro & Housekeeping 00:03:28 - Xbox Game Pass Generates Billions 00:13:38 - Ark 2 on Game Pass 00:22:42 - Deat...

We kick off this week's show with our hands-on impressions of Gotham Knights. Then, we spend the bulk of the show discussing the 10-year roadmap released by CD Projekt Red -- five Witcher games, a new Cyberpunk, and a new IP. Was it a good idea for them to be THIS transparent? What do we want out of new Cyberpunk and Witcher games? We talk about all that and more!   00:00:00 - Intro & Housekeeping...