The XboxEra Podcast

What a fun week it has been! Plenty of video games, and brand new toys upon which to play them! We chat through it all in the XboxEra Podcast Episode 285!This week, Jon, Nick and Jesse are joined by the always legendary MVG to chat about the latest in gaming, and as per usual, there's plenty of topics to cover if you're an Xbox fan. On the games to play side of things, we've got plenty of content for you to devour, from our impressions piece on the recent Call of Duty Black Ops 7 beta, to the final, full Battlefield 6 Multiplayer Review. We're also headfirst into Microsoft's big three for the month, with the absolutely lovely Keeper already out now in Xbox Game Pass. If you've , to be swiftly followed by NINJA GAIDEN 4 and then shortly after that, the awesome looking The Outer Worlds 2. We also finally got to talk about BALL x PIT, which has arrived on Game Pass too. That's a lot of games, and what's even crazier - that's just some of the 50+ games coming to Xbox next week. Madness.The biggest topic of the week is of course Microsoft and ASUS's foray into Xbox-centric gaming handhelds. The ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X are here, and I got hold of one thanks to the team at Xbox to bring you our verdict on the more powerful version of these two new handheld devices. Is it an Xbox? What does that even mean, anyway? If you're keen for even more Xbox Ally X content, I hosted a quick Q&A for folks, so feel free to tune in and check that out here.In sad news, this week also saw the passing of a video game industry legend - The father of Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive, Tomonobu Itagaki died, and quite rightly there was an outpouring of love and support on social media. Thanks for all the great games, Itagaki-san. All this and more to listen in the XboxEra Podcast Episode 284! As always, if you value what we do, consider supporting us directly on Patreon. Just head to patreon.com/xboxera to make a difference and keep your favourite independent Xbox-focused publication alive – for now, at least!

Time to chat video games! While I'm packing and preparing for my house move, Nick and Jesse hold down the fort for the XboxEra Podcast Episode 284!There's been plenty of going's on this week in the world of Xbox and video games. Call of Duty made headlines by announcing that SBMM is going to be set to "very low" for Black Ops 7, bringing a return to open matchmaking. Battlefield 6 has arrived and is very, very good much to the delight of everyone.In other new, Nick wants to play 2KXO, but can't, an Assassin's Creed game was cancelled, and an ex-Halo developer shares an ominous message about the studio. Beyond that, Game Pass for this month is nuts, and we're all very, very busy. Fun times ahead!All this and more to listen in the XboxEra Podcast Episode 284! As always, if you value what we do, consider supporting us directly on Patreon. Just head to patreon.com/xboxera to make a difference and keep your favourite independent Xbox-focused publication alive – for now, at least!

It's been a week. Xbox announced big changes to Xbox Game Pass, and the gaming industry erupted. Join the XboxEra crew as we break it all down and ask some big questions with special guest Tom Warren from The Verge joining us for the XboxEra Podcast Episode 283! There's a lot to talk about this week, as the spotlight once again turns to the Xbox business and how things are going. Team Green announced another round of sweeping changes to their Game Pass subscription service, that saw the price for the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate tier increase by 50% for residents in the US, and even more than that for other places. The community didn't react well, even with Xbox promising over 75+ Day One games next year. The Verge's Tom Warren also reported on Microsoft's plans for an ad-supported Xbox Cloud Gaming service, which caused even more revulsion from critics of Microsoft's gaming arm. He joins us this episode to ask some of the big questions - will Xbox back track? Why is there so much uproar? And has the Xbox Game Pass experiment ultimately failed?When it comes to actual video games (arguably the reason we're all here), things are thankfully in much better shape. Hades 2 is pretty great, Black Ops 7 is having a beta right now, Battlefield 6 arrives next week, and we've got plenty of titles to look forward to in October. From DoubleFine's Keeper, Ninja Gaiden 4 and or course, The Outer Worlds 2 - they're all coming to Game Pass. Interestingly, a new report on Halo has got fans discussing what's next for the venerable shooter franchise, with Halo Studios promising a deep dive on October 24th. All this and more to listen in the XboxEra Podcast Episode 283! As always, if you value what we do, consider supporting us directly on Patreon. Just head to patreon.com/xboxera to make a difference and keep your favourite independent Xbox-focused publication alive - for now, at least!

What a crazy week! Between Sony's State of Play, Tokyo Game Show and the ROG Xbox Ally news, it's been very busy times. The podcast crew get together to chat through it all in the XboxEra Podcast Episode 282!While we've been playing plenty of games, from SILENT HILL f to Final Fantasy Tactics or Sonic Racing: Crossworlds and Dying Light The Beast, there's still been plenty of video gaming news to sink our teeth into. We got to see a little from OD thanks to Kojima Productions, and it looks great. Sony had a State of Play, with Wolverine finally being revealed, another Xbox game heading to PlayStation with Flight Simulator 2024 and a little more footage of Saros. Microsoft and Xbox held their Tokyo Game Show Broadcast where we finally got the 'surprise' reveal of Forza Horizon 6, and it's set in Japan. They talked about the ROG Xbox Ally during the show, but didn't reveal the price, instead letting ASUS shock people (when it comes to the US price at least) later that day.All this and more to listen to, and as always, if you value what we do, consider supporting us directly on Patreon. Just head to patreon.com/xboxera to make a difference and keep your favourite independent Xbox-focused publication alive.

As we head into Tokyo Game Show week, the podcast crew gather once more to chat about all the games, content and industry news in the XboxEra Podcast Episode 281!Plenty of games and news this week to dive into and Jon, Nick and Jesse chat through it all. Nick is a bit sad because Collingwood lost their semi-final, but thankfully there's plenty of games to get on with to distract him a bit. Jesse has been on a marathon of reviews, with his latest, Dying Light The Beast live now for the community to check out. We've also got a review for Xbox Game Pass' latest gem - Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor. I've been fooling around with the Fullscreen Xbox Experience on my ROG Ally X, and also playing plenty of Jump Space - even interviewing the Game Director.We chat about the lack of Xbox Review Code lately, in addition to discussion around Borderlands 4 and its performance issues. We chat all the latest Xbox Game Pass drops, and even get a little political, mostly thanks to the Xbox price increase and inevitable tariff discussion. I make a plea to all our listeners to try and treat each other kindly, no matter where you fall on such things. We also chat about TGS, and the community can look forward to a dedicated livestream with all of us next week, as we tune in to watch live. Will Forza Horizon 6 make an appearance? We can't wait to find out!All this and more to listen to, and as always, if you value what we do, consider supporting us directly on Patreon. Just head to patreon.com/xboxera to make a difference and keep your favourite independent Xbox-focused publication alive.

After several weeks of not having all of the main podcast hosts on at the same time, we're finally all back to talk about Xbox and gaming in the XboxEra Podcast Episode 280!This week we spent plenty of time chatting about video games, which is always nice for a change! Borderlands 4 is here, and we are loving it, despite the optimisation issues on PC. We've also been playing a ton of other stuff, from Indiana Jones and The Order of Giants and Bubsy in: The Purrfect Collection.In terms of news, Xbox are heading back to Japan for the Tokyo Game Show and Final Fantasy 7 is finally coming to Xbox. They're also putting Xbox Cloud Gaming into cars! Nintendo had a direct and showed some games, and Nick likes some of them, so no shock there. Plenty more besides that, including your community questions, so jump in!As always, everything we do is only made possible by our Patrons and the amazing community surrounding XboxEra. You make it all possible, so if you're a long time listener, consider supporting us directly by heading to patreon.com/xboxera. Oh, and leave us a review pretty please!

Here we go again! Nick returns this week to sit down with Jesse and Aarsal to recap a pretty great week in video games - a ton of new releases, exciting reveals and plenty more besides! Time to sit back and relax in the XboxEra Podcast Episode 279!Plenty to dig into this week! Hollow Knight Silksong is finally here, and it promptly shut down most digital game stores the moment it became available, from Steam, Xbox to Nintendo and PlayStation. 007 First Light got it's big reveal at a Sony State of Play, and we'd already seen it! The lads have been playing plenty of video games this week, from the Rogue Prince of Persia, Donkey Kong Bananza, Gears Reloaded, Cronos The New Dawn and Borderlands 4. We've got reviews up for Metal Eden, Jotunnslayer, Void Crew and the latest Indiana Jones DLC to check out too, among others! Beyond all of those lovely things, Nick, Jesse and Aarsal have plenty to talk about. Perfect Dark nearly ended up with Take Two, Xbox have released more gorgeous controllers, and Call of Duty is getting a movie! Oh and Aarsal jumped out of a plane. All this and more, in the XboxEra Podcast Episode 279!As always, everything we do, and all the content we make is only made possible by your support. You can support us directly on Patreon by heading to patreon.com/xboxera. Trust me, it's worth it!

Everything is back to normal and everyone has returned from their video-game related travels to talk the latest games and hardware in the XboxEra Podcast Episode 278!Nick is out this week, so we're joined by the lovely Deadly Headly to chat through our many adventures this month. We've been very busy, bringing our wonderful community a ton of excellent previews and reviews, from Gears of War: Reloaded to Helldivers 2, and indies like The Knightling and Goosebumps. We've also lifted the lid on a bunch of upcoming games, including but not limited to Borderlands 4, Planet of Lana 2, Keeper, Lego Voyagers, Toxic Commando, REPLACED, The Outer Worlds 2, Scott Pilgrim EX, The Last Caretaker, Davy X Jones, skate, The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, High on Life 2 and Super Meat Boy 3D. Talk about getting your monies worth!Lastly, we deep dive and discuss the usefulness of Early Access for developers and for gamers, in addition to a lengthy chat on the ROG Xbox Ally following our extensive hands-on time with the devices. As always, the fact all of this stuff was covered in so much detail is down to our amazing Patreon community. If you love your Xbox, and want to support an outlet staffed by people that actually play on the platform - consider supporting us directly via Patreon. Just head to Patreon.com/xboxera.

What a week! The XboxEra Team have been in Cologne, Germany for Gamescom 2025, and on the last night, have managed to sit down and talk you through it all.We've played a ton of amazing games, and of the ones we can talk about, we do! From High on Life 2, INVINCIBLE VS, Pizza Bandit and Planet of Lana 2, we go through each day we've spent at the show, and what we've played.We also went hands-on with the ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X, and talk about our experience with these new handhelds. All this and more, so enjoy the show!

Another week has passed us by, and while Jon was out in sunny Colorado, Nick and special guest Rand Al Thor got together to celebrate Jesse's birthday in the XboxEra Podcast Episode 276!Plenty to talk about this week, from the release of Ninja Gaiden Ragebound, Viewfinder, Mafia: The Old Country, TMNT: Tactical Takedown and Hellblade 2: Enhanced Edition. PlayStation have begun to ramp up their advertising for Helldivers 2, which arrives on Xbox on August 26th - which is weirdly the same day as Gears Reloaded! They've even teased an ODST collaboration, which makes perfect sense.Gamescom is swiftly approaching and before Jon, Jesse and Predrag set off next week, we've got a few more things to do, but big thank you to Rand for stepping in and hanging out as we tackle all the community questions from our lovely Patrons. As always, a big thank you to our community for making everything possible - head to patreon.com/xboxera if you'd like to support us directly.

With Gamescom fast approaching, Jon, Jesse and K.Asante get together to chat about all the latest games they've been playing in the XboxEra Podcast Episode 275!Nick is out this week doing family things, so we're joined by the lovely K.Asante to chat about games, which is great, because there are a LOT of games to talk about. From the release of Viewfinder which is finally coming to Xbox next week after a two year wait, to the very popular Battlefield 6 Open Beta, there's been plenty to chat about.It's also the continuation of the 'Year of the Ninja'. Ninja Gaiden Ragebound is already here, and Shinobi is on the way. This week we released our in-depth hands-on preview for Ninja Gaiden 4, which Jon got to play the opening levels for over the last week, with a ton of new gameplay footage to gawk over. So. Much. Blood!In gaming news, we chat through PlayStations financials, Contraband's cancellation and the return of Xbox Design Labs. Xbox Game Pass continues to have tons of cool games, with a surprise release of Heretic and Hexen to the platform. All this and more, so jump in and hang out with us in the XboxEra Podcast Episode 275!As always, everything we do is made possible by our community and the support we get is incredible! Join our growing army of Patrons and get cool stuff in return - just head to patreon.com/xboxera.

It's been a great week in gaming, with reveals, announcements and fantastic releases. There's plenty to talk about, so join Nick, Jesse and Aarsal for the XboxEra Podcast Episode 274!As always, lots of game talk this week with the release of Grounded 2, which arrived in Early Access on Game Pass and Steam, and did very well indeed. Jesse and Nick have been playing Ninja Gaiden Ragebound, and dabbling with Shinobi with the available demo. Jesse also reviewed the PC only release (for now!) of Dead Take, Surgent Studios latest release.Gamescom is around the corner, and we've got plenty to cover later this month, with Jon, Jesse and Predrag attending. That means plenty of hands on with upcoming titles, from Hollow Knight Silksong to the Xbox Ally. In the mean time, Xbox shared their latest financials, and continue to make silly money (While firing 9000+ people). Lastly, we're all looking forward to Battlefield 6, which looked absolutely phenomenal. Have you got your beta code yet? All this and more in the XboxEra Podcast Episode 274! As always, XboxEra is only made possible by you, the audience. Consider supporting us directly by heading to patreon.com/xboxera.

It's been a week filled with drama, ruffled feathers and surprising new reveals! Join the crew for the XboxEra Podcast Episode 273!From me getting a little bit cross to Jesse upsetting people with a glowing review for WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers, there's definitely plenty to discuss in this weeks episode. Nick has been continuing his adventures in Donkey Kong Bananza, in addition to checking out Ready or Not and a little achievement grinding via a Rogue Racoon too. I've dropped a review of the pretty fantastic Abiotic Factor and it's on track to become one of the best performing reviews yet.In wider gaming news, Sony looks to be going more multiplatform with its approach for PlayStation, Wolfenstein is going to be a TV show thanks to Amazon and we can all look forward to some juicy Halo news later this year. We've also seen plenty of reveals, with Battlefield 6 now officially on the way and a surprise for horror fans, thanks to Saber Interactive's Hellraiser: Revival reveal. All this and more, so tune in and hang out for a while!As always, everything XboxEra does is only made possible by our growing army of Patreon supporters, so if you love what we do, consider supporting us directly on Patreon - just head to Patreon.com/XboxEra

In what feels like the calm before the storm, the crew have been playing and reviewing all sorts of cool video games for the community this week and we're back to share everything we know in the XboxEra Podcast Episode 272!This week, myself and Jesse are reunited with Nick who has returned from his holidays, perhaps so he can just wax lyrical about playing his Switch 2 and ignoring his family almost entirely. Elsewhere, myself and Jesse (and the rest of the XboxEra team!) have been very busy reviewing all sorts of games that have the audacity to come out before Gamescom has even begun!We've got reviews for Ready or Not, Shadow Labyrinth and we even managed to get through the entirety of Robocop's standalone expansion, 'Unfinished Business'. You can read or watch our verdict on all of these on xboxera.com today.In gaming news, Donkey Kong Bananza scores very well, making for another Game of the Year contender. Xbox Game Pass continues its incredible run of great additions, with an absolutely bonkers month of new games to play. There's also a ton of movie news and discussion, with a new Mortal Kombat 2 trailer dropping and an Assassin's Creed series being created over at Netflix.As always, everything we do is only made possible by your incredible support. If you love the content we produce, head over to patreon.com/xboxera to support us directly and get cool stuff in return!

Another week goes by, and this time the focus has been on that age-old question that the industry just can't seem to let go of - is Game Pass unsustainable? Is it even profitable? The answer of course, is that Game Pass is just fine actually, but we'll get into all the details in the XboxEra Podcast Episode 271.High on the success of our recent Summer Subathon, Jon and Jesse are joined by the lovely Gareth Williams, CEO and Co-founder of PressEngine, and industry veteran of several decades. We talk through all the latest games we've been playing, from backlog clearing up things like Avowed, to the recent releases of College Football 26 from EA and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 from Activision. Even Civilization VII gets a shout out!Following that, the team dive into all the latest goings on, from the drama surrounding Xbox Game Pass, Rare's Sea of Thieves and Jon's desire for a sequel as well as the latest Halo rumours and Krafton's Subnautica 2 drama.As always, everything XboxEra does is only made possible by our community. If you value what we do, consider supporting us directly on Patreon. It really does make all the difference in the world. Just head to patreon.com/xboxera.

Absolutely awful. There's no other way to describe the week Xbox has just had, and it sure has many fans genuinely concerned for the Xbox platform. The crew get together for some hopefully insightful discussion on what happens next in the XboxEra Podcast Episode 270.Myself, Nick and Jesse return to chat about all the awful things that happened this week, in addition to some of the good. We saw Microsoft begin mass-layoffs, with other 9000 employees affected worldwide, and a sizeable chunk within the Xbox division. Rare's Everwild was cancelled. Perfect Dark and it's studio, The Initiative, was shutdown. A reportedly promising title, 'Project Blackbird' came to an unfortunate end for Zenimax Online Studios, that saw their leader, Matt Firor depart Xbox forever. Even Turn 10, a legendary studio that had been around since the original Xbox, didn't escape unscathed, with 50% of staff reportedly let go. Even partner studios have been affected, with Romero Games losing their funding from Xbox. Suffice to say, it's left Xbox fans feeling pretty down in the dumps, and I know you'll join me in wishing the developers affected the best of luck in landing on their feet. The drama didn't stop there however. This week also saw another bombshell announcement that saw - for the first time - a PlayStation Studios title land on the Xbox platform. That's right - Helldivers 2 is coming to Xbox, in a move that challenges many preconceived notions about Sony's 1st Party Strategies.We ask the big questions. Can we trust Xbox anymore? Who's to blame for this catastrophic week? Is it really down to Phil Spencer, Matt Booty and Sarah Bond, or do we need to look to the unrealistic expectations of CEO Satya Nadella and CFO Amy Hood? Is Xbox Game Pass to blame? All this discussion and more in the XboxEra Podcast Episode 270.As always, your support makes what we do possible - if you enjoy our work, consider supporting us directly on Patreon. Just head to Patreon.com/xboxera.

It's been a relatively quiet week in video games, but for some awful reports of what has now become standard for this industry - mass layoffs! Join the crew for the XboxEra Podcast Episode 269!Myself, Nick and Jesse are back for all things video games, and the show gets off to a relatively rough start - mostly because I'd been enjoying the sunshine and the beverages! But never mind all that, there's a few things to dive into. We talk through some of the games we've been playing, from I Am Your Beast to the lovely System Shock 2: Remaster. There's also a massive review on Soulstone Survivors, if that's your jam.We also discuss the rip-roaring success for Sloclap and Rematch before diving in to all things Xbox, which is a bit miserable because of all the reports of mass layoffs, and worse - studio closures. We talk through it all, in addition to the new Xbox PC App updates and of course, our intentions to get out and enjoy Gamescom 2025.As always, everything we do is made possible and supported by our incredible community. If you want to join the growing army of awesome people, consider heading over to Patreon.com/XboxEra.

Despite the summer showcases being firmly behind us, we weren't left wanting for interesting developments in the video game industry to discuss! Sit back and relax for the XboxEra Podcast Episode 268!This week, we're joined by none other than the lovely Ryan McCaffrey from IGN, Unlocked and Ride The Lightning. Together with myself, Nick and Jesse, we discuss his beginnings in the industry, his take on Microsoft's moves back to a more PC like gaming system and more!We discuss these things because this week, both Xbox and AMD released short videos expressing their commitment to Xbox hardware, both in your living room, and in your hands. It made us ask - and answer - ⁠What's the point of Xbox?Beyond that, we also have a commitment from Sarah Bond, President of Xbox and Lisa Su, CEO of AMD that these devices will continue to play our existing library of games and not be tied to a single online store. Exciting stuff!We also chat about Rematch, FF16 , FBC: Firebreak and TRON: Catalyst in addition to all of the other video games news, from Marathon's delay and Splitgate 2 layoffs.As Ryan himself made very clear - if you love what we do, consider supporting us for less than a cup of coffee a month by heading over to patreon.com/xboxera. Your support really does make all the difference in the world.

Like a kid that's furiously unwrapped everything on Christmas morning, and is left exhausted and elated with all they have received, Summer Game Fest and Showcase season is over. Thankfully, it was a good one and we're going to break it all down in the XboxEra Podcast Episode 267!Jon, Nick, Jesse and Aarsal return to discuss everything we've seen, played and witnessed during our time at Summer Game Fest, and honestly, there's almost too much to list out here, so we'll let our timestamps do the talking. We go through every game, from our recent The Alters review, the Gears of War: Reloaded improvements, and the surprise that was High on Life 2. We've got Capcom previews, SPINE, Lego Party! and more, all for you to enjoy. We even went hands on with the ROG Xbox Ally X, Microsoft's new partner led handheld. Is it truly a new Xbox, or just a well-marketed handheld PC? You decide and be a part of the discussion in the XboxEra Podcast Episode 267!

We're live in LA from Summer Game Fest 2025!Well, most of us! Jon, Aarsal and Jesse are camped out in the hotel room to discuss the opening show, in addition to our final predictions for the showcase from Xbox.Oh, and Nick is here too.