Unlocked

After talking about our favorite games from PAX East, we discuss Microsoft's Xbox Showcase announcement – which included news that Gears of War: E-Day will get the coveted "Direct" slot immediately following the event. We dig deep into what that means for the Gears prequel, why Fable might end up being the game that gets bumped to 2027 out of Xbox's stacked 2026 lineup, which studios we might and might not hear from at the Xbox Showcase, and more! 00:00:00 - Intro & What We Played At PAX (Kiln and 4 Penny Coffins 00:02:34 - Rain98 00:05:30 - Lunarium & Cat Secretary 00:10:07 - Xbox Games Showcase & Gears of War: E-Day 00:22:34 - Too Many Xbox Games? 00:24:19 - Will Fable be at the showcase? 00:36:44 - Double Fine: Kiln 00:38:51 - Halo Studios: Campaign Evolved 00:39:31 - inXile: Clockwork Revolution 00:42:27 - Mojang & Ninja Theory 00:46:49 - Playground Games & Rare 00:52:30 - Undead Labs & State of Decay 3 00:58:45 - Arkane, Marvel's Blade, & Blizzard 01:04:09 - This is An Xbox & Outro #gaming #xbox #gearsofwar Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 734 of Podcast Unlocked, the crew takes the stage to react to the incredibly packed Xbox Partner Showcase. We discuss the biggest reveals, including the new STALKER 2: Cost of Hope DLC, Hades 2 dropping next month, Wuthering Waves finally coming to Xbox, the Yakuza-inspired Stranger than Heaven, and the surprise drop of Super Meat Boy 3D! Plus, we share our favorite hidden indie gems that we went hands-on with on the PAX East show floor, and wrap things up with a live audience AMA discussing what we all want to see from the next-generation Xbox console. Terms & Conditions: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to legal residents of the 50 US & DC, 18+ yrs of age. Ends 4/26/26. Void where prohibited. See Official Rules at https://www.ign.com/rewards/enter-to-win-a-rog-xbox-ally-handheld-gaming-device for full details. https://www.Trolli.com/xbox #Xbox #PAXEast2026 #XboxShowcase Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all played cool games at the Game Developers' Conference last week, and we'd like to tell you about them! Plus: Michael gushes about all the fun he's been having with Marathon before talking to us about his trip to Bethesda to see Starfield's new expansion and interview Todd Howard, LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight gets a new release date, April and May are unbelievably jam-packed full of games we're excited about, and more! #xbox #gaming #gdc2026 00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:49 - Delphinium 00:06:36 - Dosa Divas 00:10:34 - Nomori 00:15:17 - Mongil: Star Dive 00:18:16 - At Fate's End 00:31:25 - Marathon Update with Michael 00:39:35 - Starfield updates from Michael 00:44:14 - Project Helix thoughts from Miranda and Michael 00:59:23 - Lego Batman's release date changed again? 01:01:02 - April and May Games (Samson: A Tyndalston Story, Replaced, Mouse PI for Hire, Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred) 01:03:13 - Kiln, Mixtape, Saros, 007: First Light, Paralives, Crimson Desert, Yoshi and The Mysterious Book 01:06:32 - Where to Find Us & Outro This episode of Unlocked is hosted by Ryan McCaffrey and produced by Tayo Oyekan. Technical production is by Marhyan Franzen and Amir Rakib. Technical direction and editing are handled by Nick Maillet. Graphic design is by Justin Vachon. Unlocked is an IGN production and part of the Geek Media network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Microsoft has confirmed the rumor that its next-gen console will play PC games. The machine is codenamed Project Helix, and we discuss potential names for the device, how Microsoft must get its messaging right, the advantages it might have over the competition, and much more! 00:00:00 - Intro & Welcome Nugg and MC Fixer 00:04:24 - Project Helix Announcement Reactions & Potential Names 00:24:45 - Sony Returns to Console Exclusivity & 00:31:18 - Project Helix Potential Advantages over PlayStation 00:51:22- Microsoft's GDC 2026 Keynote 01:05:09 - Outro & Where to Find Us Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We've spent time with several big new games that we had a blast with this week, and we'd like to tell you all about them: Resident Evil Requiem, Marathon, Mouse: P.I. for Hire, and Control Resonant. A huge year of gaming continues – join us as we share our impressions of these four! 00:00:00 - Resident Evil Requiem 00:32:26 - Marathon 01:02:18 - Mouse P.I. For hire 01:06:51 - Control Resonant 01:13:24 - Game Pass March, Cyberpunk 2077, & Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Longtime Xbox executive Greg Canessa, aka the Creator of Xbox Live Arcade, joins us to react to, analyze, and quite honestly just process this week's seismic news about Xbox boss Phil Spencer retiring, Xbox President Sarah Bond leaving, and the appointment of new Microsoft Gaming CEO Asha Sharma. We discuss Phil's legacy, give our unsolicited advice to Asha for what we'd like to see in her era of Xbox, and more in this extra-long episode! 00:00:00 - Intro & Phil Spencer's Legacy 00:31:56 - Game Pass & Xbox's studio acquisitions 00:47:09 - Asha Sharma 01:13:35 - Sarah Bond Leaves 01:23:57 - Our Advice to Asha & Outro #xbox #ashasharma #philspencer #gaming Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just as we thought things might be lining up for a next-gen Xbox launch in 2027, a new story on hard drive availability has left us wondering if that option might be slipping away. Plus: we go over the new games coming to Xbox that were announced in last week's Sony State of Play, talk through the next wave of Xbox Game Pass additions, and more! 00:00 - Intro 01:06 - Ryan's Thoughts On Reanimal 05:16 - Are Hard Drives the Next-Gen Xbox’s Latest Roadblock? 19:05 - The Biggest Xbox Games From The Sony State of Play 47:27 - Whats Headed to Xbox Game Pass 54:58 - PokemonPlanet This weeks show is hosted by Ryan McCaffrey, Miranda Sanchez, and Michael Higham. The episode is produced and edited by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Remember last week's comments from AMD's CEO about being ready to support a next-gen Xbox launch in 2027? It turns out there's more to the story, so we're discussing what launch timing might make sense for Microsoft, and how we think a BS-free version of Windows 11 is a big key to the whole launch. Plus: can Baldur's Gate 3 make a good HBO TV show? We're going to find out either way, so we talked about what we want to see from the co-showrunner of The Last of US show who's in charge of this project. 00:00:00 - Intro & Replaced Demo 00:17:41 - Next-Gen Xbox 2027 Launch Reportedly 'Best Case Scenario 00:50:09 - Baldur's Gate 3 TV Show 01:06:54 - PlanetPokemon & Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices