The greatest Xbox podcast crossover ever happens now! IGN's Podcast Unlocked and Kinda Funny's Xcast have joined forces for an Xbox podcast tour-de-force. First we discuss the brilliance of Alan Wake 2 and the Max Payne 1+2 Remakes that Remedy is about to go into full production on before discussing Gears of War creator Cliff Bleszinski's recent comments about Gears needing a reboot. And then the main event: our Xbox first-party studio fantasy draft! Now that Microsoft's Activision-Blizzard...

We did the podcast live this week immediately following Xbox's Partner Preview livestream, and we spent the entire episode being pleasantly surprised by both the things Microsoft promised would be there (like Alan Wake 2, Ark: Survival Ascended, and Dungeons of Hinterberg), and the things that were surprises (like Metal Gear solid Delta, Still Wakes the Deep, and The Finals). Plus, we give some constructive criticism on Xbox's latest presentation format. Learn more about your ad choices....

Microsoft's acquisition of Activision-Blizzard is finally done, and so we can finally stop talking about it! Or, well, at least we can stop talking about the annoying will-they-or-won't-they regulatory side of it. Now it's time to talk about the games! We discuss Activision-Blizzard games in the back catalog that we'd like to see lightly refreshed for the Xbox Series X|S (similar to the recent Quake 2 remaster), before taking turns talking about which of their IPs we'd like to see Microsoft...

Some Forza Motorsport vs. Gran Turismo 7 talk kicks off the show before we talk about Halo Infinite's new Season 5 content, discuss how Xbox Game Pass looks set to level up in 2024 with the addition of Activision-Blizzard games, lament the recent layoffs at Telltale, and more.

First we give our initial impressions of Forza Motorsport and Assassin's Creed Mirage now that the review embargoes on them have lifted, and then we spend the bulk of the episode giving our top-5 rankings of Xbox's internal game studios (including Bethesda/Zenimax) while also contemplating Phil Spencer's Xbox legacy to date as PlayStation boss Jim Ryan finalizes his ahead of his retirement.

We open this week's busy episode of Unlocked by discussing two big new games we just played a bunch of: Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty and Alan Wake 2.

In one of our longest Podcast Unlocked episodes ever, we recap, discuss, and analyze every piece of Microsoft's huge FTC case documents leak that revealed the Xbox Series X slim refresh (and its lack of any disc drive), plans for future Bethesda/Zenimax games (many of which are still unannounced), their top-level plans for their next-generation console due out in Holiday 2028, and more!

After a quick update on how our Starfield adventures are going, we discuss Phil Spencer and the Xbox leadership team’s big decision to bend the Series X/S parity rules to get Baldur’s Gate 3 on Xbox, Destin’s big interview with Phil Spencer — including whether or not Microsoft will produce a mid-gen refresh for the Series X — the sad closure of Volition, and more!

After a quick update on how our Starfield adventures are going, we discuss Phil Spencer and the Xbox leadership team’s big decision to bend the Series X/S parity rules to get Baldur’s Gate 3 on Xbox, Destin’s big interview with Phil Spencer — including whether or not Microsoft will produce a mid-gen refresh for the Series X — the sad closure of Volition, and more! 00:00:00 - Intro & Replaced Delayed to 2024 00:12:05 - Xbox Drops Parity Requirement & Baldur's Gate 3 Coming! 00:22:10 -...

This is the episode you've been waiting for: Starfield. We brought in our Starfield reviewer, Dan Stapleton, to have a spoiler-free discussion about what we think of the most anticipated Xbox game of the year. We talk about what we like, what we don't, and how it ranks alongside Fallout and The Elder Scrolls.

Gamescom is underway, and this week's episode is dedicated to a recap and analysis of everything from the Opening Night Live showcase -- from the beauty of Alan Wake 2, Black Myth: Wukong, and Lords of the Fallen to our disgust at the knucklehead stage-crashers who are going to ruin access these events for fans.

We're diving into the mystery surrounding STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl's potential release date. Is the December 1 date listed on Plaion's website for real?

Get ready to dive into some exciting EVO news on this episode. We've got a crazy Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crossover heading to Street Fighter 6, and there's a new character teaser for Street Fighter 6 that's brewing some serious curiosity.

Remnant II has sold more than one million units across all platforms in its first week, so Stella, Kahlief, and Destin discuss how Remnant II has improved from its original game formula and how unique the gameplay loop is. Plus: Baldur’s Gate 3 won’t be releasing on Xbox for quite some time, your Xbox controller will be easier to repair on your own, and we have the full list of games joining and leaving Xbox Game Pass for August.

EA has announced a new studio that's working on a new single-player Black Panther game, so we discuss what we'd like to see out of this long-overdue crack at one of the world's most popular superheroes. Plus: Ubisoft reportedly cancels a sequel to Immortals: Fenyx Rising and leaves us hoping they're not going to become the Assassin's Creed And Nothing Else publisher, alleged details leak about NEXT year's Call of Duty game, and more!

Though Microsoft's acquisition of Activision-Blizzard has cleared its biggest hurdle (the FTC), the deal isn't quite done yet. And all parties involved have given themselves more time to finalize the deal. We discuss that, plus Sony finally signing its 10-year Call of Duty deal with Microsoft, the death of Xbox Live Gold and its somewhat confusing replacement in the form of Xbox Game Pass Core, and more!

The moment we've all been waiting for has arrived: the verdict is in for Microsoft vs. FTC, and Team Xbox has won!

As we await the verdict in the Microsoft vs. FTC trial regarding the fate of Xbox's Activision-Blizzard acquisition, we dig into some of the other things happening in the world of Xbox

With the Microsoft vs. FTC trial concluding, with a verdict expected next week, we discuss and analyze seven big things we've learned so far, from the fate of Bethesda game exclusivity to the other publishers Microsoft considered buying and more!

We have so much to talk about on this milestone episode! We recap some of the games we saw and played at Summer Game Fest, then discuss how Xbox is absolutely STACKED with AAA exclusive first-party RPGs for the next several years.

Happy Summer of Gaming! In this special SoG episode of Podcast Unlocked, Ryan McCaffrey, Stella Chung, Destin Legarie, and Kat Bailey discuss their favorite reveals and surprises from the Xbox/Bethesda Showcase and the Starfield Direct.

On the eve of the biggest Xbox event of the year, we keep to our tradition and make a total of 12 predictions for the upcoming Xbox Showcase.

Diablo Franchise General Manager and old friend of Unlocked Rod Fergusson joins the show this week to celebrate the launch of Diablo 4.

Mortal Kombat 1 has been announced, and it's bringing its unexpected title to next-gen consoles in September.

Xbox's deal to acquire Activision-Blizzard gets a key approval from the European Commission, even while the UK's CMA doubles down on its opposition.