Defining Duke, Episode 217: The Thread
Added 2025-02-24 17:56:20 +0000 UTCHey, all! It's time to submit your questions, comments, concerns, thoughts, and ideas for Episode 217 of Defining Duke.
Great ways to get your write-up used: Be pithy, be topical, and be insightful. Walls-of-text, posts littered with poor grammar and punctuation, etc., are promptly (though respectfully) ignored.
As this is an Xbox podcast, be sure your submission makes sense within that realm. You have until Wednesday, February 26th at 3 PM ET to make your submission.
Comments
Hey boys I will be brief.. is the AAA games industry about to bottom out? I’m not talking about a crash but when the white collars keep closing studios and games are increasingly longer and thus more expensive to make, something surely has got to give? With love Scott Holdsworth Have a “I was just playing Shadow of War without realising it was a Eulogy” kind of day
Scott Holdsworth
2025-02-27 04:23:29 +0000 UTCGreetings to the Dukes, So I have to ask... Has the flannel started to consume Matty like the symbiote in Spider-Man 3? With the recent hat trick of Starfield, Veilguard and Avowed it seems like he has a bad case of the 'nothing is as good as what I played when I was a kid.' Hoping a new RPG from one of his faves can come along and snap him out of it, fingers crossed for Outer Worlds 2. Have a "You'll get you your rent when you fix this damn door!" kind of day
Derek O
2025-02-26 19:41:02 +0000 UTCHey Dukes, I can hear it right now. Matty is about to go on a rant about AAA gaming being dead. Is it finally time to admit there is a problem with AAA game development.... but only in America. AAA gaming is doing really well in Japan. Great games have come out since covid. Great games are coming from the likes of Nintendo, Capcom, Square Enix, and Bandai. (Even Konami!) But you will make the blanket statement and say its "All" AAA gaming, when that's just not true. I think there are many reasons for this: Here's a few examples, I believe that could be the downfall of AAA gaming in the states. Super Left wing politics in games. (Clear no one wants this, Veilguard is now on PS plus and it just came out at $70 in October. ) Mrs Freeze in suicide Squad with a trans skin. Devs are complaining on social media and game journalists are carrying water for them every day that their lives are so hard and they are being forced to go back into the office. I'm sorry, we never left the office in WV. Some people gotta work blue colar jobs and don't want to hear this complaining. American Devs over hired during covid, its a fact. Its clear as day this didn't happen in Japan, no mass lay offs. Sony had Jim Ryan and Herman Hulst have the worst game plan in the history of video game companies, green lighting 10+ live service games (yet Herman still has a job and poor Shu is out of a job) Who is in charge at these places? We blamed EA for Anthemn, but we really found out later that Bioware wanted to do it. Who said lets make Wonder Woman instead of another Lord of the rings game with the nemesis system? Who said lets make two batman games (Suicide Squad & Gotham knights) and in both games we are going to kill Batman (The main character!) If we had real game journalism we may find the answers. We don't need Jason Schreiers activism. We don't need Grummz grifting. We need real conversations in between. That's where you two come in, the Dukes always keep it real. Justin
Justin Robinson
2025-02-26 19:14:30 +0000 UTCHey Dukes, On one of my walks this week, I thought about people's fear of losing their games on the Xbox ecosystem if they leave the hardware business after the next generation. Though it sucks as someone who has been invested in the Xbox ecosystem and achievements since middle school (2006), I don't think it would make sense from a business standpoint and may be overblown. They have a recurring revenue source from their ecosystem, and with the FTC filings, we saw how they were trying to add their Xbox store into Apple and Android, which would be more of an uphill battle. What incentive would they have to abandon legacy users if they already spend money in their ecosystem? Even if they leave the hardware business, I could see a world where Xbox outsources their Xbox OS (think Steam OS) to third-party hardware manufacturers such as Lenovo, Logitech, Asus, etc. It may be more niche, but I feel there will still be a way to access games with the latest hardware, and ideally, Microsoft stays in hardware similar to their Microsoft Surface and Windows dynamic. Let me know what you think! Am I just huffing some copium as a long-time Xbox user? I hope you have a "my $100 TMNT COD skins couldn't keep the Xbox hardware business afloat" kind of day. PS My condolences for your loss, Cog
John Hanke
2025-02-26 17:47:53 +0000 UTCDukes, how many times do you visit a doctor before deciding it’s time for a 2nd opinion? Thanks and have a “Warner Bros ain’t no one’s bros anymore” kind of day.
NeO JD
2025-02-26 17:10:27 +0000 UTCHey Dukes, a possibly lengthy health is wealth update for all those in the realm: Firstly; Cog, my condolences for your lose. Since June of 2022 I have been going to therapy. Mainly to work on processing my parents divorce more than 10 years prior and what was a current dilemma at that time, relationships. That arc has now reached it's conclusion and Monday Feb 24th was my final session. It felt like closing the cover on a good book. The last few weeks as we winded down I was very stressed because I wasn't sure I was ready but sometimes it's better to be forced into situations rather to come to decisions yourself because you may never pull the trigger. End of an era, here's to the next one. Also, I began my journey with a dietician a few weeks ago. I have been working out since the summer 2016 and I am happy my muscles, the progress I have made on my own in the gym and the work I have done with a personal trainer I have been going to since winter of 2023 have been awesome but what has always gotten me is my diet. Within the last 6 months I have really plateaued with my weight. Shirts and pants fit different and more snug and that's the first time that ever happened and it was a huge wake up call. My therapist mentioned I could find a dietician within my insurance which kick started my search. So for those who didn't know that, now you do. I certainly did not. I started at the beginning of Feb and here's the work I have done so far. Replacing snacks with high protein, lower than 200 carb options. I went with bags of Skinny pop, Barebell protein bars and Oikos Triple Zero yogurt. Next step was making pasta meals more nutritious and exciting by adding protein, making different recipes, eating it once a week, changing to a healthier pasta, Rao's bronze die cut pastas is what I was recommended. For an italian guy like me whose diet consisted of pasta. It had gotten boring and I barely wanted to eat it so this helps when Sunday pasta dinner is such a normal thing in my week. And lastly for now is counting calories which I haven't done seriously in years. I am using Cronometer and you can do more or less everything without paying a dime. While I am only a few weeks in, I feel better about my diet and I am keeping weight down. Let's hope I can go from 227 to 190 sooner rather than later. Let me end with a question for you both, I currently use Six Star Whey Protein Powder, is there something better I could be using for weight loss? Thanks for reading my looong post and have a happy and healthy week and have a "WB patented the nemesis system only to never use it again" kind of day.
Anthony Ragucci
2025-02-26 14:41:06 +0000 UTCHey MATTY! So when tha fucks is FABLE coming out? And more hilariously who's gonna come first Silksong or Fable. Have a I'm squatting with my lightning McQueen crocs on kind of day.
Frank G.
2025-02-26 14:39:33 +0000 UTCHey Dukes! I want to start playing on gamepass but I have been debating what to invest in to use the service. I don’t want to buy a an xbox given the space constraints in my apartment. I’ve tried using xcloud but the latency was a little too noticeable for my liking. I’m considering trying out nvidia’s cloud service or investing in an rog ally. In the back of my head, I’m also wondering if I should just hold out to see if Microsoft releases a handheld. Any thoughts on how I should get started using the best value in gaming? Love all the work you both do. Thanks!
badlawyer69
2025-02-26 13:37:59 +0000 UTCMy fellow Dukes! With each day passing, the future on all fronts looks grim. I like many carry a heavy heart to hear another beloved studio is gone. Monolith was truly special and I hope dearly the men and women at the studio can go on and do greatness elsewhere. After this horrendous decision by WB, I simply ask you both: where does WB and the breath of IP go from here? Is it a possibility WB will license the nemesis system to other teams for use? What hope remains in this grim dark future of Corpo controlled AI hellscape that is coming? Have a going out in a blaze of glory, holding the grenade pins to save my squad, with Mad world playing the background kind of day.
DextrousJOE
2025-02-26 04:28:57 +0000 UTCGreetings Dukes, In Microsoft related news, did you guys hear that they invented a new state of matter? I may butcher this run down but their new quantum computing chip, the Majorana 1, is made from “topological matter” which is neither a solid, liquid, nor a gas. Xbox is notorious for being a step ahead of the rest but does this mean the next Xbox is going to transcend space and time? All jokes aside, it’ll probably be a few decades before we see real practical uses for quantum computing from what I’ve heard but the prospect is very exciting. Thought this would be a fun warm up topic of discussion. Keep up the great work gents as always and have a “Fuck Warner Bros” kind of day.
Daniel J
2025-02-26 03:02:13 +0000 UTCHey Down home Dukes! Matt, you cannot get down with country music eh? Try, Shaboozey(all of his 1 album) or Eric Church, "The Outsiders" and "Mr Misunderstood" songs. If that becomes a guilty pleasure, go to the album, "Chief". EC was the only one who made me say, "Country music isn't ALL bad". Much more rock-like sound in his work(Although there are songs about cars, drinking and heartbreak.... lol). Cog, where do you stand on Country Music? Have a, "Throat Coat saved my marriage", kind of day.
Anton Kaye
2025-02-26 01:21:27 +0000 UTCGreetings Xbox brethren. What's most likely in your opinion? Xbox makes a handheld with an ARM processor and no link to the current Windows OS, or Xbox makes a handheld with x86 architecture and a strong link to the Windows operating system? Thank you for your time and be sure to check out Balan Wonderworld in your free time.
Eugene Ahka
2025-02-26 01:05:26 +0000 UTCHowdy dukes, I've a simple question. Has fornite ruined the gaming industry? We see so many companies mismanage there studios expecting to make the next fornite. ? In a positive note fable looks like it's gonna be amazing have a fable will drop with a new console type of day.
David Markham
2025-02-26 00:35:53 +0000 UTCMr. Matty Plays (PlayStation) and Lord Cognito The Internet Less One, This Fable news sucks. I get it that we all have to come out and say take your time and make a good game better and all of that. However, these games are taking WAY too long to come out. The longer they take, the less likely they'll be profitable. Is this mismanagement of resources or spreading your releases out so we get less of that shotgun effect? What can gaming companies do to make tighter windows. Have a perfectly throat coated day friends!
Mr. Scott If You're Nasty
2025-02-25 21:57:21 +0000 UTCHey Dukes, With Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 all but confirmed, I have to ask—where’s my American Wasteland remake?! Just kidding… but seriously, if 3+4 perform well, do you think we’ll see more remakes from the Tony Hawk series down the line? Best, Sean M
Sean Mason
2025-02-25 21:48:25 +0000 UTCHey Hunky and Chunky Cog and Funky and Spunky Matty, Dudes, what did you think of the Fable gameplay? There's a rumour that the game was delayed for a PS5 day and date released but, based on this footage, seems like the game is nowhere near ready and there's actually a shit tonne of jank to iron out. What did they even gain by releasing this 'pre-Alpha' clunk fest? They've shown a crazy amount of restraint when it came to showing the actual gameplay, building up a real sense of mystique, only to end up coming out with a whimper. Have a 'something something titty gobbler' kind of day, Nick
Your Boi Nicky V
2025-02-25 21:27:29 +0000 UTCWhat's up Dukes! With Fable being delayed to next year, I wanted to ask you guys how you prefer your game reveals? Do you prefer knowing a publishers entire slate for the entire generation years before any of these projects release, or more the Nintendo approach where a 3D Mario will most likely release this year and we know absolutely nothing about it. I personally prefer the ladder with some "Unicorn" games sprinkled in. Thanks for all you do!
TheUnchartedWolf
2025-02-25 21:22:09 +0000 UTCHowdy Dukes, Are Xbox fanboys on twitter out of control? I just saw one say Xbox has no competition. How can they be so deluded? It truly boggles the mind.
Josef Barker
2025-02-25 20:43:41 +0000 UTCHello Dukes. Well Warner Bros has fulfilled its prophecy of shutting down monolith, player first games and wb San Diego. Can’t say any of this is surprising with the fact it also means the Wonder Woman game is now cancelled. What say you and have a I’m ready for some 2025 MLB baseball kind of day.
Florida Man
2025-02-25 20:16:03 +0000 UTCHello Mr. XboxPlays and Lord Hellblade An update as to my mental health is wealth and what I learned from my most recent therapy session. After I heard my first submission read by you guys for tens of thousands of people to hear, I had a really crazy mix of reactions. It started with tears of joy streaming down my face and just having a moment of recognising my accomplishments over the last year. Things I always thought impossible to accomplish became reality after a tough but rewarding year. Maybe an hour or so after hearing my submission and having those tears of joy I found myself in a familiar state of mind. All the progress and joy had disappeared and I was back to me 1 year ago. I felt like I couldn't break the mold, I couldn't be what I've been working towards. I cried so much feeling so far removed from progress I made, like all the things I've done to be the better version of myself were all for nothing. I wrote a 2nd submission talking about this before I really understood why this happened. I dont know or care if that one gets read but now I understand what happened thanks to my therapist. I learned, do to the level of transparency I brought myself to by sharing my story with you guys and the dukes community, I felt far more vulnerable than I probably ever have. This created a physiological rubberband like reaction for myself where I started building those walls back up telling myself "I can't break the mold" I can't do this, I can't do that. Whats funny is I did exactly everything I was telling myself I can't do but my instincts kicked in from years and years of habbit and said 'what are you doing? Stop breaking these walls you need something to hide behind' when in fact I dont need something to hide behind. I am who I am and that is an honest person who isn't perfect. I will have bad days but through it all I am still a good person even if I make mistakes. My point with this submission is sometimes we put ourselves in vulnerable places to better ourselves and that can be nerve racking but what you do with that energy, how you react and how you learn from mistakes is also a very necessary part of improving yourself. I made a mistake, relapsed and lied after my first submission. I had one of my worst days in a long time. I had to go into therapy and face what I'd done, it was a tough lesson but the important thing here is I faced my mistake, learned from it and I know the potential feelings that may come up in my next step towards transparency and honesty. Thank you guys for allowing me to share and even allowing this platform to be a part of my therapy. I've learned a lot and hopefully someone listening has as well. I appreciate the time given, thank you for allowing me to be heard.
STATS
2025-02-25 18:43:14 +0000 UTCSup’ dukes With the discussion around avowed and dragon age development changes, it made question about how important background context is when it comes to review/viewing any game. Hypothetical, From Soft announce their next game but launches to a more negative reception. Only for later on to learn that due to unforeseen circumstances Miyazaki left half way and someone else took over. Should the effect of what happened during development alter the way people review/view the game? As well as if we, the audience should be cautious about their next game? Thanks and have a “please god do not let this be some spoken into existence” kinda of day.
KZ_Eikon
2025-02-25 18:31:12 +0000 UTCHello Dukes, I wanted to offer a different spin on "Health is Wealth." Earlier this week on Constellation, Matty mentioned that he and his wife have been browsing the dumbphone subreddit and considering disconnecting. I took that leap last July, ditching my Pixel Pro 7 for a flip phone after reading Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport and researching dumbphones on Reddit. The final nail in the coffin? My 3-year-old son asked why I was on my phone so much instead of playing with him. That moment hit hard and sealed the decision. Switching has been one of the best things for my mental health—I’m more present with my wife and kids, and when I check in on friends via Discord or Messenger on my desktop, it feels intentional. Getting off social media and focusing on the now is refreshing. You’d be surprised how many people support you—and those who don’t? Probably not worth your time. I keep a notepad on me for thoughts or things I want to look up later and bring a CampSnap digital camera for family outings. If you’re interested, I highly recommend the F1 Horizon Aspen flip phone. Curious to hear from Cog as well if it's something he's ever considered. Take care and have a great week!
MeatSpin11
2025-02-25 17:17:15 +0000 UTCI’m sure you’ve heard by now that Fable is seeing a delay into 2026. While I’m a bit disappointed considering the game is my most anticipated game by a mile, the new footage they showed looked absolutely phenomenal from a visual standpoint. Combat needs some polishing but considering the footage is “pre alpha” I’m not too worried. What are your thoughts about the delay, the footage shown, and when in 2026 the game will actually release?
austin
2025-02-25 17:17:02 +0000 UTCHello The Brothers Dukes So in the same breath that it was announced that Fable is being delayed to 2026, it was also announced that the best Star Wars movie, Revenge of the Sith, is being re released in movie theaters for one week in April for it's 20th anniversary. Will you be seated and ready to go?
Chris banging ladies wearing the Green Goblin Mask
2025-02-25 16:42:02 +0000 UTCGreeting Dukes, First time write in here, with a question completely off topic. I’ve been listening to the pod for about 2 years now and just recently decided to stop being a freeloader and finally jump on the Patreon and show my support for the dukes.Im a senior and college and just recently was assigned a project for a class on US capitalism and specifically chose to do my project about Xbox games studios. My professor has asked me to include sources from people who covered topic like the ABK deal and I thought to myself no one is better than the dukes. So my question for the dukes is what episode/episodes would you recommend I give a listen for the best coverage of ABK as I know you guys talked about it a lot.Thank you for the amazing podcast dukes. Have a Hiding my funko collection behind my back so Matty Doesn’t see kinda day (P.S. sorry for the long write in)
Burrito26
2025-02-25 16:22:09 +0000 UTCHey Dukes, Matty, I watched your recent video about the circumstances and details surrounding the development of Avowed. Do you two think games should be judged through the lens of the environment that they were developed or just as the final product presented to consumers? What about judging a game based on what it's trying to do versus what you wished it was doing? I hate the online discourse about games so I appreciate having a thoughtful show like this and the other shows at Last Stand Media where you can actually hear some insightful points rather than rage-bait from people who seemingly don't even like games. Thanks and have a "Soto's first at-bat as a Met is a home run" kind of day!
JP
2025-02-25 15:12:23 +0000 UTCHello Dukes, It seems that Steam is forcing developers to disclose the use of AI in games. On black ops 6’s steam page there is a AI disclosure stating “Our team uses generative AI tools to help develop some in game assets.” I don’t think this disclosure will have any impact on the sales of call of duty, I find it interesting that this is happening so soon. What do y’all think? Have a “ king loves Lord beefy, but doesn’t wanna throw coat” type of day
AstroParrotKing
2025-02-25 12:47:14 +0000 UTCHey fellas Just wanted to check in our fighting Dukes? Tekken 8 shows Anna and reveals a massive system overhaul. Now this is a small question maybe even ignorant. Are fighting game season passes kind of sparse? I know 4-5 characters a year is pretty standard for this genre but what else could they include to beef up their offerings? P.S. The premium battle pass items are still dog shit arguably getting worse.
Strejja Depuzi
2025-02-25 09:20:02 +0000 UTCHey Dukes, Am i dramatic for calling bullshit on Microsoft’s AI announcement? Microsoft claims they won’t force their teams to use AI. Maybe at first, but what if a team misses a key deadline? I can easily see a future where Microsoft Gaming is churning out AI-assisted mid-tier games
Gabriel Baker
2025-02-25 08:15:16 +0000 UTCHey Lord Cog & Mr. Matty, Any update on the show losing its “this is an Xbox podcast” identity? ILP is an all platform show too, I think it’s time to just rip the band-aid off. Thoughts? Thanks
Hugh Jalode
2025-02-25 04:59:42 +0000 UTCHey Dukes, I have a Health is Wealth question. What are some healthier snack recommendations? I tried these protein chips from Wilde and a Jocko Mölk protein shake to have with my lunches instead of regular chips and pop, but they’re both terrible. I work in a warehouse so I figured they could be good to have with all the lifting I do all day. So I’m looking for something better, thanks guys. Have a “Cog says he won’t hold us but those arms of his say ‘I’m a great hugger.’” kind of day.
Drewseph
2025-02-25 03:42:36 +0000 UTCMatty, as a fellow professional wrestling lover, do you see CM Punk walking out the victor Saturday at the Chamber?
Treilond
2025-02-25 01:12:07 +0000 UTCHey Dukes. With all the rumours of third party versions of an Xbox console in the future, alongside Epic, Steam and other storefronts being on the next gen Xbox, is it possible Microsoft team up with one of these companies to create the hardware itself? Rumours were circling at the end of last year Valve wanted to get into the console space again, would it be smart for them to create a console alongside Xbox? Both storefronts on one box, Game Pass, integrated friends lists from both platforms, Xbox Play Anywhere and linked accounts etc. I'm playing Avowed on Steam right now, and they give you the option to link your Xbox account and now I'm earning Steam achievements and Xbox achievements at the same time. It's pretty cool to earn an achievement on Steam and have a popup on my phone that I earned an Xbox achievement too. It's a great way to appeal to another set of customers (Steam) and get them into your hardware ecosystem. Just a quick thought that I think would be really awesome and the right direction for Xbox to go in after dwindling console sales. Sorry for the long write in and cheers from the UK.
Sam Locker
2025-02-24 18:24:17 +0000 UTCHowdy dukes, At what point do we stop calling Xbox... Xbox and start calling it Microsoft gaming?
David Markham
2025-02-24 18:16:58 +0000 UTCHello Dukes! Just wanted to write in and say thank you for never missing a show and always being there. Hope you're doing okay Cog and most importantly, health is wealth <3
Maxi Lopez
2025-02-24 18:04:33 +0000 UTC
