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Defining Duke, Episode 297: The Thread (Patreon)

Published:
2026-09-07 20:29:26
Imported:
2026-09

Content

Hey, all! It's time to submit your questions, comments, concerns, thoughts, and ideas for Episode 297 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, September 9th at 3 PM ET to make your submission.

Comments

Raisin

Howdy, Dukes! Hope you all enjoyed your European excursion. Thankfully, none of y'all got stabbed while on the tele by some wanker with no AC. Anyways, with us now officially in the eye of the storm of the fall gaming season, I'm left with one question: who do y'all think will be the big winners and losers of the coming months? Personally, there are so many games coming out that I can't even realistically afford everything that interests me. I want to play A Plague Tale and Control, but I need to budget accordingly for Hot Wheels, Galactic Racers, Wolverine, and GTA VI. And then there's the deluge of games from January to April. When will I find the time, let alone the money, to swing back around to A Plague Tale and Control when I've got Until Dawn 2, Tomb Raider, Laufey, Fable, and Revelations all coming out within the span of four months? I know these are first-world problems, but I almost wonder if it's to the detriment of developers and gamers alike to have such an abundance of choice. But what about y'all? Do the Dukes share in my first-world misery of there being too many games? Who will win and who will lose this fall? What games will the Dukes be prioritizing over others?

Anton Kaye (edited)

Comment edits

2026-09-10 12:00 Hey Dukes, Now that the Switch 2 version of Metaphor is dated for Nov 12th, do you think this signals that this will be the only version of this game? Thanks and have a, "I waited all this time to play the definive version, of Refantazio, for nothing", kind of day.
2026-09-07 20:33 Hey Dukes, Now that the Switch 2 version of Metaphor is dated for Nov 12th, do you think this signals that this will be the only version of the title? Thanks and have a, "I waited all this time to play the definive version, of Refantazio, for nothing", kind of day.

Hey Dukes, Now that the Switch 2 version of Metaphor is dated for Nov 12th, do you think this signals that this will be the only version of the title? Thanks and have a, "I waited all this time to play the definive version, of Refantazio, for nothing", kind of day.

Jonathan Turner

Duke boys, My girlfriend has been training for the Phoenix Marathon coming up in December. I’m much more of a bodybuilding and powerlifting guy, but she’s been asking me to go run with her in the mornings, so I’ve been joining her. I’ve always been a treadmill guy and can put together some decent mileage on one, but for whatever reason, running outside has taken some serious adjusting. I can run several miles on a treadmill and feel fine, but three miles outside and I’m ready to tap out. Thank you, Matty. Your one man show last episode got me through the latest run. 😂 Duke boys, what’s your cardio game looking like nowadays? Anybody running regularly, or are you getting your cardio in some other way? Have a “she’s really trying to take me out so she can have my physical games collection to herself” kind of day.

Mr. Scott If You're Nasty

Dear Traveling Band of Dukes, I'm curious if you've seen the Alien Isolation 2 coverage from Gamescom? Alien Isolation was an epic experience for me, and I'm excited after seeing the previews roll out. We are keeping the 1979 asthetic and going outdoors.. anyways what do you gents think? I'm also so curious to hear your thoughts on Sonys ... Ummm States of Play I guess? Should they take a page from Xbox's marketing team because that was abysmal, unlike Mattys one man European show. Have a let's do back to back trash heaps of a show and tell our customers it's not reasonable buy means own kind of day!!

The Ghost of Dr. Hook's Hand

Hey Dukes! Hope you fine gentlemen are doing well this week. Wanted to write in and give a little Indie game a shout out and put it on your radar. The game is Restory, a cozy 90's electronic repair shop sim and even officially licensed by Atari! Thanks boys keep up the great work as always.

Jacob Martin

Hey Dukes - A non-Xbox fan here. I've been gaming since the Genesis moving to Nintendo and Sony platforms. The only games I've ever played on Xbox include: Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance, Conker: Live & Reloaded, and Project Gothem Racing. Recently both Gears and Halo hit Playstation and I find the atmosphere simply amazing and a blast to play. Sadly, I've heard this is the last of these franchises coming over... Why must they tease us Playstation fans??

Xoslec

Howdy Mighty Dukes, Hope this finds you well. I wanted to take a moment to share a "HEALTH IS WEALTH" story with you all. While it starts out rough, it has a happy ending, and I think it’s worth sharing. Mass layoffs are a plague that has infested the industry, with no end in sight. When they happen, we acknowledge them, feel bad for the devs, talk about it on podcasts, and then move on with our lives. Well, I was one of those devs in early 2024. Due to the brutal job market and the sheer ratio of applicants to open roles, finding my next position was extremely difficult. My mental health slowly deteriorated, and I felt my marriage slipping through my fingers—not just from financial stress, but from the anxiety of not knowing if I’d ever find a spot again in the industry I love (and for which I’ve moved my family across two different states). As the sole breadwinner, it was devastating. It eroded my self-esteem daily, making it harder and harder to bring my best self to the few interviews I did manage to get. After many months of unemployment, driving Uber, and taking odd jobs just to slow down the accumulating debt, I finally landed a role last month at a company I truly respect and have always aspired to work for. While it’s a contract position, it gives my family and me the breathing room we desperately needed to catch up while I strategically plan my next move. During dark times, it’s crucial to have supportive family, solid friends, and a physical hobby to release stuck energy (mine is BJJ, which I highly recommend!). I’m incredibly grateful I had those to rely on. The Dukes have been one of those positive pillars for me, and I sincerely thank you for putting out such a wholesome show. To all the devs still in the trenches where I was: I see you, and you are not forgotten. Stay strong and keep fighting. And to the bad execs out there squandering talent... I hope karma finds you soon.

Justin Marion

Good day Dukes! HEALTH IS WEALTH, Long time lurker and jerker here. Punching Up sent us to ask Matty what he knows about butthole siping water(maybe from his personal experience)? Is this a symptom of a natural gapeage, or of some "extracurricular activities"? Have a "strapping" fun kind of day.

Drew's Dew

Hey Dukes! With the shooter beta season over, has CoD lost it’s glory days? Wardogs beta looked to have all the hype and I wonder if by Microsoft buying Activision and subsequently removing CoD marketing from PlayStation has affected their sales and overall talk for the game. Feels like it’s going to be a better year than last year but will it be enough to appease the eye of Satia? Time could only tell. What do you guys think?

John Hanke

Hey Dukes, Sorry, this is a little off-topic. As someone who grew up with and loves Looney Tunes, I had to see Coyote vs. Acme on principle, not to mention all the great reviews. It isn't a one-for-one comparison, but the whole situation reminds me a ton of the digital rights and preservation conundrums we're dealing with on the video game side. Warner Bros. almost shelved a finished movie starring legendary characters for a tax write-off, and it easily could have just disappeared forever. The movie is great and isn't just 90 minutes of Looney Tunes slapstick, though there is plenty of that. Also, I don't know if there were onions in the theater, but some grown-man tears were close to being shed. Definitely not on my bingo card for a Looney Tunes movie. Are David Zaslav and his team just the most incompetent group of entertainment executives of all time? I hope you had safe travels back from Europe! John Hanke

empty_0

Hey Dukes! Collin was right award, what do you make of Xbox limiting ultimate cloud streaming to 15 hours? Can we read into this that something big might hit cloud streaming like GTA 6? This could be a way to get PC and Switch players in easily. However, 15 hours is pitiful for an "Ultimate" plan. I used GeForce now and was fairly bullish on a cloud streaming future but I think as power costs rise Collin is right, why would they want you to do this. Have a "blowing 2 of my hours on Starfield loading screens" kind of day

MagisterdeVita

Greetings, Love-’Em-and-Leave-’Em Vrakhiri Edition Matty and Lord of Romance COG, Can I just say how much I’m enjoying the rise of romance in video games right now? The next couple of years are looking downright dangerous for those of us who can’t resist a good romance subplot, and I’m really curious what effect this could have on games going forward. We’ve already got games like The Blood of Dawnwalker, plus the continued life of The Witcher 3, and then upcoming games like Exodus, The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, Fire Emblem, and potentially even more from The Witcher 4 and whatever Larian ends up cooking with Divinity. Then we have Fable, which apparently intends to let us choose between good old-fashioned monogamy and going out into Albion like it’s the third of September and we’re auditioning to become somebody’s Papa, or Mama, Was a Rollin’ Stone. We, the Romance Contingent, are eating GOOD right now. But then we arrive at the crème de la crème. The game that could potentially set the trend for romance systems over the next decade: GTA VI. Personally, I was planning to sit this one out. Then I started seeing what Rockstar may be doing with Jason and Lucia’s relationship, including the potential for the player to strengthen or weaken their relationship through how they interact, and for that relationship to affect the story. And suddenly I’m sitting here thinking, “Well, Rockstar, I guess you ARE getting that $100 out of me.” Because if GTA VI pulls this off and that relationship system becomes one of the things people praise about the game, you KNOW what happens next. The video game industry is going to chase that genie straight out of the bottle. Every publisher is going to look at GTA VI’s seventeen-billion-dollar pile of money, point at whatever worked, and say, “PUT THAT IN OUR GAME.” And if one of those things happens to be a deeper, more reactive romance system? Romance Bros and Sistas, our time may have come. We could start seeing developers move beyond the traditional “pick the correct dialogue options until Companion Approval reaches 87% and receive kiss” model and start experimenting with relationships that actually change depending on how two characters treat each other, what they experience together, and the choices you make throughout the story. So, Dukes, what are your thoughts on all this love, and possibly some other things, floating around in the air? Do you think GTA VI could actually push romance systems forward if Rockstar nails Jason and Lucia’s relationship? And more importantly, are either of you ready for the possibility that the next great gaming trend isn’t extraction shooters... ...it’s dating? Have a “your girl is trying to ban you from playing GTA VI because she calls it cheating, while you’re desperately explaining that it’s actually Boyfriend Trainer: The Video Game” kind of day.

Captain Hero

Dear Dukes of Xbox hazard This one is for Matty. As they say in Spartacus, we must have words!!! I greatly enjoyed your recent Retro Rebound round up of Star Wars games, lots of great takes. BUT I was a little surprised at some of the games you didn't mention. The following games might elicit strong reactions from you, if you hunt them down: - Shadows of the Empire. A somewhat mixed reception when it debuted exclusively on the N64, but a unique storyline. - SNES - A new hope, Empire Strikes back, Return of the Jedi. Three side scrolling platform/fighting games on the SNES. I 'think' you can still buy these digitally on Playstation network. - Masters of Teras Kasi. Infamously bad beat em up. - Star Wars Arcade. Sega 32X. Visually impressive back in the day. - Xwing and Xwing vs tie fighter on Windows. Feels a bit sacrilegious not to mention these. - Star Wars Chess, Sega CD - Painfully slow, but hilarious animated cut scenes of Vadar attacking R2D2. - Star Wars Rebel Assault 1+ 2. Appreciate I'm showing my age a bit by mentioning some of these. I would humbly suggest that Matty do a follow up analysis video also looking at these games as well. Most of these should be quick to play. I find that these games are a good spread of experiences that show just how whacky (and interesting) some of the earlier star wars games were. Great reminder of how experimental the license was a long time ago, in a galaxy far far away. Have a 'Double Fine was always entitled and huffing their own farts, but people didn't notice it till now' kind of day. Cheers, Captain Hero

Timothy Kirk

Good afternoon gentlemen, could Xbox pull call of duty from PlayStation post January 2028 due to no more new games getting discs as means to hurt Sony ? I think it could get a lot of PS5 users to pick Xbox helix over PS6 and capitalize on the growing hatred for all things PlayStation. Thank you for all that you guys do !

BigDumbStupidIdiot

Hey "Took my girl to Paris for the McDonald's" Matty and "Kidnapped by The Ritual Network" COG; Physical Bro Matty, did you see the initial wave of physical OoT Remake will have a special textured finish? This pseudo-special edition is going to force me to pick up a physical copy to keep sealed and double dip with a digital version. COG, as Captain Digital; is there an XBOX IP you would grab physically if the 1st wave was made unique AND at standard retail price? Have a great day!

thejjuan1

Hey Dukes. Welcome back! First off, what is Cog’s take on the GTA 6 showcase? Did it show enough? Second, did you see the reports of a 33% increase of sales of PS5s and Xbox series consoles? While at first glance it doesn't seem big. But you guys got to remember. Xbox’s cost more than a ps5. But are selling at the same rate. I know it’s not much, but is Asha changing the look of Xbox? Because I know on the Playstation side. The vibes are off. People are not happy with that brand right now. Maybe things can turn around for Xbox after all. Good to have you boys back! Have a I hope my future wife looks as bad as Lucia kind of day!

Walk Forward Cutscene

Hey Dukes, I know Cog is compromised on this issue, but can we please issue a stand-down to Insider Gaming for their article about publishers opting out of disc to digital, only to have Ubisoft games start working on that very same day? I’m no journalist, but shouldn’t you reach out to publishers before publishing an article like that?

NeO JD

Hey gang, With the Steam achievements leaks, can we use this to set expectations on release dates? Are we looking at games like Persona 6 and Judas next year? If so, 2027 is about to be popping off as well. Thanks and have a I can’t wait to see who picks Zelda over GTA for Game of the Year kind of day.

ItsShaneBailey

G'day Dukes, On a scale of 1 to 10, rate Xbox's tactical espionage skill in securing the publishing rights for Physint. In all seriousness, with PlayStation pulling out, which other publisher would realistically be willing to hand Kojima a blank check in the current market? Will this translate into any kind of commercial victory for Xbox or is the optical win enough to justify the price? Keen to hear your thoughts. Have a 'enjoy this feeling before the next studio closure' kinda day ;)