Grand Theft Auto 6 gameplay was leaked via a hacker. So now what? What do we think of the return to Vice City? What, if anything, will change about Rockstar's plan to show us the game on their terms. We discuss that as well as Diablo 4's upcoming endgame beta, hands-on impressions from the surprise demo of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, and more!

Our Xbox crew discusses a significant management shake-up at the top of 343 Industries, Sony boss Jim Ryan's public airing of Call of Duty-related grievances against Phil Spencer and Microsoft, the biggest news from the weekend's Disney/Marvel and Ubisoft showcases, the new Xbox Elite controller, and more!

Halo and 343 Industries was an arranged marriage from the start. After the latest sting of bad news – the cancellation of split-screen co-op – we spend an hour discussing 343's past, present, and future with the franchise. Is the arranged marriage working? Should Halo even be a "live service" game? It's a complex topic with no clear answers, but clearly it's time to have the conversation. Plus: September's Xbox Game Pass games, the Game Pass Friends & Family Plan goes live in a test market, and more!

IGN's Kat Bailey joins Destin and Ryan to discuss the latest leak surrounding Microsoft's seemingly imminent Xbox Game Pass Friends & Family subscription plan. We speculate what it might cost, and how it further adds to Game Pass's already-amazing value proposition. Plus: we talk Madden NFL 23 and sports video games, debate what we want out of the just-announced new Mafia game (including when we want it to be set), and more!

Xbox brought plenty of content to Gamescom, and now we've got a clear picture of what the holiday lineup looks like for Xbox gamers. Plus: Xbox commits to maintaining Xbox prices after Sony raised the price of PS5 in many major territories, Phil Spencer hints at his next acquisition priorities, and more!

This week, Ryan’s back from a long-needed vacation! We catch up on a new Lord of the Rings game coming from Weta Workshop and Private Division as well as talk about games we’re looking forward to hearing about at Gamescom next week! We also anticipate Marvel and Disney rolling out a brand new Games Showcase next month! Tons of fun stuff today, so join us in the comments!

TIMECODES:

00:00:00 - Intro
00:04:50 - Private Division Working on a LOTR Game. Here's what we want.
00:18:39 - Xbox’s gamescom Showcase News
00:37:10 - Disney & Marvel’s Games Showcase Coming Sept. 9th
00:46:30 - Even More Game Delays!
00:50:16 - Outro

With the news that the Xbox Series S Performance Boost benefiting developers after direct feedback, the Podcast Unlocked crew discusses the success of the Series S console and why they like it. In addition Activision Blizzard not only covered off on an upcoming Modern Warfare stream in the coming months, but there were also a few news bits about the merger with Microsoft that we missed last week. There was a hefty bit of news to discuss this week so join us as we discuss each story together this week on IGN's Podcast Unlocked.

With an official Discord chat integration on the way, the Podcast Unlocked crew discusses other features they'd like to see get an update or overhaul along with Xbox's Summer Spotlight program that's been a little underwhelming, though it did introduce the team to a particularly cool giraffe. Plus, the team discusses some awesome community creations for Halo Infinite and The Simpsons: Hit and Run.

As two more big games get pushed into 2023 (Lord of the Rings: Gollum and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora), we take a look at the crush of major releases coming to Xbox next year and discuss what we're most looking forward to. Plus: a discussion on Ubisoft's latest Ghost Recon and Splinter Cell project cancellations and why we've been a bit disappointed in the major publisher in recent times.

TIMECODES:

00:00:00 - Intro
00:01:08 - Our Thoughts on Ask Dusk Falls & FH5 Hot Wheels DLC 00:08:45 - More Games Delayed to 2023!
00:31:25 - What’s Up with Ubisoft?
00:50:53 - Unlocked Block Trivia & Outro

Lots of Halo Infinite talk this week! First we discuss our hands-on impressions of the just-released online co-op beta, then we dive into the wave of key staff departures from the Infinite development team and wonder if it’s a bad sign for a game that’s supposed to be a long-term platform for the future of Halo. Plus: Grounded gets a TV show adaptation, and more!

TIMECODES:

00:00:00 - Intro & SDCC Info!
00:02:18 - Halo Infinite Co-op Campaign Beta is great!
00:13:15 - Halo Veteran Devs Start a New AAA Studio
00:39:56 - Grounded Gets a TV Adaptation
00:47:58 - As Dusk Falls & New Game Pass Games
00:55:00 - Unlocked Block Trivia & Outro

The Halo caretakers and developers at 343 Industries are making a major piece of lost Halo history playable: the infamous Halo 2 E3 2003 campaign demo that never made it into the final game. We react to this fantastic surprise and recall the Halo 2 hype from that time. Plus: a plea for proper, native Xbox Game Pass support on the Steam Deck, our thoughts on the potential Apex Legends Universe single-player game that Respawn might be making (aka Titanfall 3?), our reaction to the long-awaited gameplay reveal of Skull & Bones, and more!

TIMECODES:

00:00:00 - Intro 00:08:56 - Halo 2 Earthcity Demo Returning? 00:27:00 - Respawn Hiring for an Unannounced Single Player Game 00:36:03 - Skull and Bones Finally Gets a Release Date 00:45:55 - Games with Gold Removing Xbox 360 Games Soon 00:50:25 - Unlocked Block Trivia & Outro

As a talented and decorated game developer joins BioWare to work on the next Mass Effect game, we discuss what the nature of her role means for when we can reasonably expect Mass Effect 5 to get done. Spoiler: it's probably going to be quite a while! Plus: predictions for Ubisoft's just-announced September showcase, your chance to try out Halo Infinite's campaign co-op mode, and more!

TIMECODES:
00:00:00 - Intro & GotG writer Mary DeMarle joins BioWare
00:24:01 - Ubisoft 'Multi-Game' Showcase Coming in September
00:34:04 - GTA IV and Red Dead Redemption remasters scrapped?
00:41:56 - New Co-op mode for Halo Infinite
00:49:12 - Game Pass Games for July
00:54:40 - Unlocked Block Trivia & Outro

Yes, you're reading that right: Xbox Series X and S outsold the PS5 in Japan, of all places, both individually and combined. We discuss this small victory for Xbox in Japan as well as the bigger picture. Plus: we debate the proposed inclusion of microtransactions in Halo: The Master Chief Collection and their effect on the industry at large (including the upcoming Diablo 4), our reaction to Overwatch 2 overwriting the original game, and more!

TIMECODES
0:00 - Intro
1:25 - Xbox Outsells PlayStation in Japan
22:57 - Halo Master Chief Collection Gets Microtransactions
43:39 - Will Microsoft Change Blizzard's Microtransaction Tactics?
51:38 - Overwatch 2 Replacing Original Game
59:10 - July Xbox Games With Gold
1:00:11 - DICE Doubling Down on Battlefield
1:06:54 - Tony Hawk 3 and 4 Remasters Cancelled
1:11:31 - Trivia and Outro

We take one last, definitive look back on the Xbox Showcase and the Xbox Showcase Extended now that the dust has settled. We've got some constructive criticism for Microsoft, but we also gush about our favorite games from the event, such as High on Life, Forza Motorsport, Redfall, and Starfield.

If you missed it when it aired live, here's our reaction show immediately following the Xbox Showcase from Sunday, June 12. We discussed the long-awaited gameplay reveal of Starfield, what Xbox's exclusive lineup for the rest of this year looks like, Redfall, Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2 reactions, our favorite games of the show, and more!

It's Xbox Hype week! With the Xbox Showcase just days away, we look ahead to Xbox's big event. Both of them, now that we know that an Extended Showcase is happening on Tuesday, June 14. We make more predictions for what we want to see and think we'll see. Plus: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake's rough road, the survival-horror smorgasbord of Callisto Protocol, Dead Space Remake, and Resident Evil 4 Remake this winter, and more!

TIMECODES:
00:00:19 - Intro & Housekeeping
00:03:43 - Xbox News Roundup Part 1
00:09:31 - Xbox & Bethesda Showcase Predictions
00:36:44 - Xbox News Roundup Part 2
00:53:12 - Unlocked Block Trivia & Outro

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, the long-known-about sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, has finally been announced. We discuss what we want to see out of Respawn's upcoming next-gen sequel. Plus: lamenting the very serious reason for the latest Xbox exclusive to get delayed, Ryan gushes over Ninja Gaiden as the entire series hits Xbox Game Pass, and more!

TIMECODES:
00:00:00 - Intro & Housekeeping
00:08:52 - Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Announced for 2023!
00:25:09 - Replaced Delayed to 2023
00:44:41 - New Game Pass and Games with Gold for June
00:54:22 - Unlocked Block Trivia & Outro

We look back at the Fall of 2007 and discuss: was it the best 90 days of any console ever? From August 21-November 21, 2007 we got Halo 3, Mass Effect, BioShock, The Orange Box, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - all in a 90-day window. There were also a number of other really good games in that same window: Assassin's Creed 1, Project Gotham Racing 4, Blue Dragon, Eternal Sonata, and more! Join us as we look back on one of the greatest stretches in the history of gaming. Plus: spoiler-free Halo TV Series season 1 reactions.

TIMECODES:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:04:21 - Halo TV Season 1 Impressions
00:12:39 - The Xbox 360's Greatest 3-Month Stretch
00:45:20 - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for Next Gen Coming Soon!
00:51:00 - Unlocked Block Trivia & Outro

After Starfield and Redfall both got delayed out of 2022 on the same day, we discuss why Xbox fans are understandably frustrated with the lack of major first-party exclusives this year. Next year does look amazing - and we discuss that in detail - but we also talk about how many fans are tired of being told "Wait until next year." Can the Xbox Showcase provide any immediate answers? Join us!

TIMECODES:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:01:39 - Redfall and Starfield Delayed to 2023!
00:10:08 - How Does 2022 Look Like So Far?
00:48:14 - Unlocked Block Trivia & Outro

Spawn on Me's Kahlief Adams joins us to discuss a busy week of Xbox news, from EA seemingly accidentally revealing Shepard's return to Mass Effect (do we even want Shepard back? Are we hyped for this?), where Activision can take Sledgehammer's Call of Duty games from here after the disappointing Vanguard, Gotham Knights leaving Xbox One behind, Clippy in Halo Infinite, and more!

TIMECODES:
00:00:00 - Intro & Commander Shepard Returning?
00:26:30 - Activision On Call of Duty Vanguard's Underperforming Sales
00:50:35 - Gotham Knights No Longer Releasing For PS4 and Xbox One
00:59:40 - Halo Infinite's Season 2 Adds Clippy!
01:03:50 - Resident Evil Re:Verse Potential Release
01:09:15 - Unlocked Block Trivia & Outro

With Microsoft announcing the date for its upcoming Xbox-Bethesda Showcase, we waste no time in making our first round of predictions for the event. From Hellblade 2 to Starfield to Forza Motorsport to Gears 6 and more, we discuss what we think might happen at the biggest Xbox event of the year. Plus: we attempt to unravel the head-scratching mystery that is Embracer Group buying a few Square Enix studios and franchises, including Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, and Thief.

TIMECODES:
00:00:00 - Intro & Xbox Showcase Predictions!
00:50:55 - Embracer Group Acquires a Handful of Square Enix Studios
01:13:48 - Game Pass Games for May & more!
01:14:53 - Unlocked Block Trivia & Outro

The Xbox has its best March since the Xbox 360 era, and IGN's Xbox crew discusses the ins and outs of the numbers. Plus: Gearbox is bringing back Tales from the Borderlands itself – and Ryan has a bone to pick with them – 343 Industries details Halo Infinite's 2022 roadmap, and more!

My Xbox and Me host MC Fixer joins us to discuss a big week of Xbox news, from Portal 2's lead writer publicly calling on Valve to greenlight Valve 3 to Amy Hennig getting another shot at a Star Wars game to Sega working on big-budget reboots of Crazy Taxi and Jet Set Radio and more!

TIMECODES:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:02:56 - Should Valve Get Portal 3 Done?
00:19:40 - Amy Hennig Working on a New Star Wars Game?
00:29:58 - SEGA on Crazy Taxi & Jet Set Radio Reboots
00:40:50 - CDPR Delays The Witcher 3 Next Gen Release
00:47:46 - WB and the Minecraft Movie
00:53:59 - Unlocked Block Trivia & Outro

This week the Unlocked crew are joined by a very special guest host, Adam Cole! Discussions include speculation about what we can expect from Halo Infinite Season 2, the Kingdom Hearts 4 reveal, and Cyberpunk 2077's upcoming story expansion. Also, have you guys tried Destin's cookies yet?

• 00:00:00 - Intro & Housekeeping
• 00:02:20 - Halo Infinite Season 2 Announced!
• 00:16:48 - Cyberpunk 2077 Story Expansion Incoming
• 00:24:07 - Kingdom Hearts IV Announced
• 00:31:35 - Dead Space Remake Coming Early 2023?
• 00:38:04 - What’s Up with System Shock 3?
• 00:53:30 - Our “Lifetime” Games & Outro

Big news for those who've still been trying to get their hands on an Xbox Series X: the shortage might finally be over. Plus: our Game Pass picks for new Series X owners, the upcoming Xbox Game Pass Family Plan has been confirmed, Unreal Engine 5's completion means a bunch of Xbox exclusives just got one step closer to release, and more!

TIMECODES:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:02:10 - Is the Xbox Series X Shortage Almost Over?
00:06:27 - Our Recommended Game Pass Games
00:19:10 - Xbox Game Pass Family Plan Incoming!
00:26:46 - Xbox Games for April
00:28:50 - Monkey Island is Back!
00:31:48 - Our Dream Sequel Revivals
00:41:26 - Unreal Engine 5 is Officially Here
00:52:55 - Unlocked Block Trivia & Outro

Grand Theft Auto Online is now offering an optional new subscription service called GTA+. We dig into what it is, who it's for, and whether or not it's worth it. Plus: Xbox leaders discuss the future of cloud gaming and the present-day success of Xbox Game Pass at the Game Developers Conference, and more!

TIMECODES:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:02:57 - Rockstar Announces GTA+ Subscription Service
00:17:50 - April Games for Gold
00:23:00 - What’s Coming for Xbox Cloud Gaming?
00:44:30 - Unlock-Block Trivia & Outro

Tunic creator Andrew Shouldice joins us for the first half of this week's show to discuss the ins and outs of creating the new Xbox-exclusive action-adventure largely by himself. Plus: our reactions to the announcement of the new Witcher game, our reactions to the report of toxic leadership at Ori developer Moon Studio, and more.

TIMECODES:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:00:49 - Interview With Andrew Shouldice!
00:39:40 - New Witcher Game in Development
00:56:52 - Moon Studios is Reportedly an "Oppressive" Place to Work
01:16:58 - Unlock-Block Trivia
01:19:43 - Outro

Three major topics dominate our discussion this week: 1) Our spoiler-free thoughts on the Halo TV show after we all watched the first two episodes. 2) Ryan's spoiler-free thoughts on Tunic now that the review embargo has lifted. And 3) The rocky situation at The Initiative as development on Perfect Dark reportedly struggles to move forward in the wake of many senior development leads leaving the project.

TIMECODES:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:01:30 - Halo TV Series First Impressions
00:17:21 - Tunic Review!
00:26:52 - Perfect Dark Leads Are Leaving Studio
00:47:14 - Unlock-Block Trivia
00:51:37 - Outro

Halo Infinite multiplayer's season 2, Lone Wolves, has been announced, and we've got a lot to say about the state of the game so far and how hyped (or not?) we are for season 2. Plus: GTA 5's next-gen graphics modes are revealed. Also: Microsoft, Xbox, and the war in Ukraine.

TIMECODES:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:01:57 - Halo Infinite Season 2 Multiplayer Announced
00:21:53 - Microsoft Suspends Sales in Russia
00:33:29 - Grand Theft Auto 5 and GTA Online Xbox Series X/S New Features Revealed
00:41:13 - Capcom is Bringing Resident Evil 2 Remake, 3 Remake, and 7 to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series
00:42:28 - Unlock-Block Trivia
00:48:29 - Outro

Our Xbox crew digs into the latest bit of big Call of Duty news: that the series will be taking next year off. We discuss what it means for the franchise. Plus: Elden Ring lives up to the hype, the possibility of Xbox Game Pass coming to Steam (and thus the Steam Deck), and more!

TIMECODES:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:03:56 - Elden Ring Fever!
00:15:00 - New Call of Duty Pushed to 2024
00:29:09 - Game Pass On Steam Deck?
00:46:49 - Xbox Game Pass For March
00:52:45 - Unlock-Block Trivia
00:55:51 - Outro

Our Xbox crew discusses the report that, among other issues, the release of Halo Infinite's free-to-play multiplayer hurt the launch of Battlefield 2042. Plus: Ubisoft stakes a claim to independence in the wake of so many publishers being bought...unless the right price comes along, Street Fighter 6 just got announced but it's already off to a controversial start, and more!

TIMECODES:

00:00:00 - Intro 

00:03:39 - EA Admits Battlefield 2042 "failed to meet the expectations of our players"

00:19:52 - Ubisoft Acquisition?

00:29:34 - Street Fighter 6 Announced!

00:43:07 - No Man’s Sky Is Not Finished

00:51:20 - Unlock-Block Trivia

00:55:55 - Conclusion

Another week brings another important new update in Xbox's huge acquisition of Activision-Blizzard. Microsoft is making it clear that Call of Duty will continue on PlayStation - and come to Switch - so we discuss the ramifications of that decision for Xbox. Plus: Cyberpunk 2077 comes to Xbox Series X, our thoughts on Netflix's BioShock movie, impressions of The Cuphead Show, and more!

TIMECODES:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:03:23 - Bioshock Netflix Movie
00:10:25 - The Cuphead Show First Impressions
00:12:32 - Microsoft has confirmed that "Call of Duty and other popular Activision Blizzard titles" will not just be released on PlayStation
00:21:10 - New COD Game For 2022
00:29:30 - Microsoft has committed to putting "the right people in the right position" at the helm of Activision Blizzard
00:34:42 - Cyberpunk 2077 Released On Series X/S Today
00:41:36 - Atomic Heart Gets a Release Window
00:45:56 - Xbox Game Pass Games for February
00:47:18 - Unlock-Block Trivia
00:50:20 - Conclusion

Rockstar has officially acknowledged Grand Theft Auto 6's development, so we spend time mulling over some key questions: When will it be out? Will the long gap between GTA 5 and GTA 6 help or hurt it? Where will it be set? What do we want out of it in terms of main characters, gameplay features, etc. Plus: Infinity Ward confirms the next Call of Duty game and we debate what big and small steps the franchise should take next in order to stay fresh, PlatinumGames wants to bring back Scalebound, and more!

TIMECODES:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:00:48 - Miranda Shows Xbox Nail Polish
00:05:08 - GTA 6 Officially Acknowledged By Rockstar
00:41:12 - GTA 5 Next Gen
00:47:45 - CoD Modern Warfare 2 Coming in 2022?
01:07:15 - PlatinumGames Wants to Return to Scalebound
01:14:15 - Unlock-Block Trivia and Conclusion

Sony has purchased Bungie, who has meant so much to Xbox and its history, that we can't help but discuss the deal. We look at what it means for the future of Bungie on Xbox, remember our favorite Bungie-made moments on Xbox, and more. Plus: our reactions to the Halo TV show's new trailer and release date, and more!

TIMECODES:

00:00:00 - Intro
00:01:10 - Sony Buys Bungie for $3.6 billion
00:32:12 - Halo TV Series Gets New Trailer
00:46:20 - Game Pass Games for February
00:48:04 - Unlock Block Trivia and Outro

We can't stop thinking about last week's landmark Xbox acquisition of Activision-Blizzard, so on this week's podcast, we're talking about A) Who Microsoft might strategically target for acquisition next, and B) our dream Xbox-Bethesda-Activision-Blizzard project collaborations and IP revivals. Plus: Respawn announces THREE new Star Wars games, and more!

Xbox continues its spending spree, buying Activision-Blizzard for almost $70 billion. We spent almost the entire podcast discussing it, from future game exclusivity to Microsoft's role in cleaning up Activision Blizzard's toxic workplace culture to whether or not so much consolidation is a good thing for the video game industry. Join us for the biggest Xbox story of the year (because we can't imagine anything else in 2022 topping this)!

We have a random assortment of Xbox topics to discuss this week, from Dying Light 2's supposed 500-hour play time, Amazon getting the Fallout TV show off the ground with a big name attached, Xbox Game Pass landing another big third-party game on day one, and more!

Happy New Year! Xbox Game Pass gets 2022 started in a big way - by dropping the entirety of Mass Effect: Legendary Edition onto Game Pass. We discuss the legendary RPG series, the importance of its presence on Game Pass, and more. Plus: what we played over the holiday break (hint: Halo Infinite multiplayer), Tencent's stealthy infiltration of the games industry, and more!