New AAA Xbox Activision Studio | Call of Duty on Xbox Game Pass | Assassin's Creed Shadows - XB2 316

[@RandalThor19]

Thanks for all the support!! Timestamps: Getting ready to go live 0:00 Intro and Housekeeping 8:52 Lord Cognito makes an appearance 36:35 Cognito in xbox doom & gloom 38:30 Next cod day and date on Gamepass 57:35 Activision announces new studio 1:16:10 Square Enix going multiplat 1:42:30 Assassins Creed Shadow announced 2:04:00 Rumour: next xbox 2026 release date 2:30:40 Division Heartland cancelled 2:42:30 Colt's release date quick fire 2:46:30 GTA 6 marketing rights 2:56:15 Patreon Questions and Closing 3:20:45

[@TheHasaan279]

ahhhh. another quality channel with real gamers talking gaming.....subscribed. 🧙🏿‍♂

[@samad6194]

Colt backtracking and doing a complete 360 is hilarious

[@Charmer4856]

360 or 180

[@mxnarch349]

?

[@aolanikainoa552]

You mean 180

[@dusermiginte4647]

360 is all the way around dumas.

[@Ciki92]

Better to open AAA studios in cheaper places like Poland than everything in California. Makes it more sustainable.

[@spectrexr1]

How when the budgets are the budgets . They been telling us for years single player story games are not profitable. Then they go build a studio to make just that. After shutting down smaller established studios that do the same thing.. something not adding up . How many time this gen we seen vets making a studio and no games comes out

[@jqydon]

@@spectrexr1this move has nothing to do with the Zenimax closures and was in the works before ABK was even purchased. I hate what happened there just as much as everyone but it’s factually wrong to conflate the two. OP is 1000% right about part of the budgetary problems being cost of living in development hotspots.

[@ojerico6097]

​@spectrexr1 budgets are determined by salaries mostly California is the most expensive place to operate because of taxes and cost of living which means higher salaries poland Is a lot cheaper a aaa studio cost would be half of what one would cost in California and xbox never said single player games wasn't profitable that was ea

[@spectrexr1]

@@ojerico6097 that's always been the case. And tango wasn't in California. And Phil Spencer and Shawn layden and Jim Ryan said it. Single player games cost too much and take to long to make and they not profitable. Sony said they cutting back on them. U just wake up yesterday lol. But they making a new studio got these games makes no sense. But then Xbox said they need more smaller games that win awards after they shut down tango so I guess I should be use to them doing and saying things that make no sense lol

[@Sirriffsalot]

For those develops to live in California, our rent and mortgage prices are really high!!!

[@rf7134]

The guest that wasn't Cog comes off as really insecure and needs to unplug from the internet. Jez was missed this week.

[@RagedPG]

8:44 Show Starts 19:58 Doom and Gloom Discussion 56:02 Does Xbox need exclusivity to grow gamepass 1:07:06 Are you surprised about COD entering gamepass 1:16:01 Microsoft/Activision's new studio 1:26:40 Superchat: Custom COD Xbox? 1:32:46 Superchat: Xbox having its Sega moment? 1:40:16 The layoffs are not due to the acquisitions!! 1:45:02 Square Enix ditching exclusive deals. 1:56:32 New accessibility controller 1:59:18 Next Xbox? 2:02:04 Family Plan? 2:04:06 Assassin's Creed Shadows 2:30:06 New console in 2026? 2:32:52 Fable Customizable character? When will we see it again? 2:45:42 What is coming in 2024? 2:56:04 Sony GTA Marketing 3:02:50 Hi-fi Rush Successful 3:16:47 Cog and Colt Leave

[@marcus-vt6ix]

Thanks dude, you doing god's work

[@xxFacade]

"as long as the character is black, im cool with it" - cog

[@gosh402]

It's important for black people to be represented....in feudal Japan

[@chaspickens7393]

Sweet baby strikes again

[@aolanikainoa552]

I have no issues with black representation but it makes people pissed off when it feels forced

[@TheRealPaleHorseman]

Great Show Rand, Thanks ;) I really enjoyed you having Colt & Cognito as co-hosts, you guys are really good together 😊

[@skramerwrites]

All love to Jez, it’s okay for him to miss shows sometimes if he’s busy or is too exhausted from work. The change of pace with Rand’s (and Jez’s) good friends is fun to listen to as well. Love the whole community of content creators who rock with Xbox Two.

[@IronLordsPodcastRoundtable]

Much love for the invite to the realm of the Xbox 2

[@inspectorcolt]

Great job. Much ❤️

[@inspectorcolt]

Love the @Colt Eastwood podcast!! Thanks for inviting Rand to your show today, he's great.

[@chaspickens7393]

Yeah that colt dude is very disrespectful. Always running his mouth never saying anything interrupting everyone

[@DyeHard79]

2:41:36= Cog says "poor one out for Division Heartland" 2:42:29 Rand says "you see they canceled Division Heartland"? Lol pay attention Rand!

[@RandalThor19]

I got a message and was distracted for a bit

[@astrocyborg]

I can’t believe we’re at a point of defending $130 games

[@hihosilver1234]

Yea gross lol

[@holddamayo7474]

Cog is an inspiration man. If someone like him (who sucks at their job) can make it this industry than I know I can.

[@Spartan_83]

Good luck and keep us updated on your success.

[@holddamayo7474]

@@Spartan_83will do brother

[@hihosilver1234]

What's wrong with him?

[@david53444]

Do you still live with your mum?

[@holddamayo7474]

@@david53444 actually no,she passed away when I was 12.

[@RandomGuyNB]

Timestamps Getting ready to go live 0:00 Intro and Housekeeping 8:52 Lord Cognito makes an appearance 36:35 Cognito in xbox doom & gloom 38:30 Next cod day and date on Gamepass 57:35 Activision announces new studio 1:16:10 Square Enix going multiplat 1:42:30 Assassins Creed Shadow announced 2:04:00 Rumour: next xbox 2026 release date 2:30:40 Division Heartland cancelled 2:42:30 Colt's release date quick fire 2:46:30 GTA 6 marketing rights 2:56:15 Patreon Questions and Closing 3:20:45

[@natpagler4263]

Listening to ColtEastWood talk about Final Fantasy was crazy. Listen to 1:47:00 onward, Dude sounds like he was born and bred to defend Xbox.

[@hihosilver1234]

Huh?

[@EpicScreenReviews]

Part of the reason Xbox is doing so horrible is because the people who cover it are shills and fanboys and the average consumer feels and senses it. They don't want to listen to that bullshit. It's a fact.

[@fabolousjada5070]

His whole channel depends on Xbox succeeding

[@toetag4]

Guaranteed Jez say something right before the xbox show case that’s negative towards Xbox

[@DyeHard79]

Yeah Lily Nickol the actress who was modeled into Fable trailer is really pretty irl I think they made her more plain on purpose for whatever reasons I'll play as her no problem

[@hihosilver1234]

That Fable trailer horrified me. Microsoft is killing Fable again and it's not even close to being released...

[@ladoboyo5452]

Same reason they uglified female leads in AC Odyssey, Mass Effect Andromeda, Horizon and Tomb Raider. DEI. Less offensive to ugly or trans women. Make everyone look more average but inadvertently make the exceptions more noticeable in the process.

[@david53444]

​@@ladoboyo5452it's funny because the average woman looks much better than these ingame women.

[@aolanikainoa552]

​@@ladoboyo5452Tomb Raider has pretty woman

[@ladoboyo5452]

No anymore.

[@superteen1717]

I see what you did there Rand Jez is Elsewhere in poland 🤣

[@Charmer4856]

Clever boy

[@aolanikainoa552]

But why? He was invited for no apparent reason

[@ryannelson4317]

Thanks for putting in the work guys. Great show 👏

[@harddobe]

Exclusives protect the investment your customers make. If Xbox put its game on PS, and PS doesnt out them on Xbox, then the future of the console is at risk, and so is my games catalogue.

[@DetroitsReaper]

if the next forza is in japan i hope it stars a black car lol

[@holddamayo7474]

That’s low key a fantastic joke

[@DetroitsReaper]

Rand and cog please play assassin creed syndicate its the perfect blend of both new and old assassin creed and its story is underrated

[@hihosilver1234]

What's your fav AC? I'm not an AC fan, but Origins is one of my favorite games of all time.

[@NuclearAbyss]

​@@hihosilver1234You didn't asked me but, for the OG games AC2 and AC4 are really awesome in scope and gameplay, specially for their time. For the newer ones AC Syndicate with the dual protagonist and steampunk settings, and of course AC Odyssey one of the best open world games with very good side quests and choices.

[@DetroitsReaper]

@@hihosilver1234 mine I'd say oddessy, ac2/ brotherhood, I like black flag and syndicate too

[@aolanikainoa552]

For me it's Ezio trilogy and Black Flag

[@cupidmars]

I don't like my xbox no more

[@dusermiginte4647]

Good for you poony, good for you.

[@VastGameMaster]

When it comes to Assassin's Creed shadows I think a lot of people have legit concerns about the pricing.

[@ladoboyo5452]

I think they have legit concerns about the characters too. Imagine how unrepresented Japanese men feel about this game.

[@david53444]

​@@ladoboyo5452people should just be honest and stop with the constant strawman arguments or purposely missing the point. They made Yasuke mc because of DEI. That's why he's the only historical figure they ever had for a AC MC.

[@ladoboyo5452]

Nobody was bothered when they revealed AC Origins where you play as an African man in Africa. Made perfect sense and I played the hell out of that game. Loved it. No racism here. Just concern for authenticity and immersion.

[@chaspickens7393]

I'm so sick of people mis representing the people that aren't impressed with ac shadows

[@aolanikainoa552]

​@@ladoboyo5452Japanese men are represented lot in Japanese games.

[@fabolousjada5070]

Who’s gonna pay 200 to play COD ? 😂 idiotic

[@tinyentropy]

I didn't like this discussion round. Too much Xbox marketing.

[@bargaintuesday812]

Where do you think you are?

[@dusermiginte4647]

This year will be awesome!

[@warawana]

So glad colt finally understands the value of timed exclusivity for a platform.

[@RaspyYeti]

People forget that Tango has offices in one of the most expensive places to have offices in the world

[@hihosilver1234]

Good point

[@aolanikainoa552]

Aren't Japanese studios cheaper to run than American ones

[@fightingddog]

I dont agree colt eastwood its very easy to sell and xbox s X on marketplace for 450$ ive done it three times lol and buy a PlayStation on marketplace for 400$ lol and just do xbox game pass on your PC.

[@opalauge468]

Unfortunately my time zone prevented me from listening live. Just want to say that you (Rand), Colt and Cognito are the content creators I appreciate the most. You guys just seem so grounded, humble and nice. Really, really like to listen to all of you. I also like Jez of course. Even more so when he's not setting the Internet on fire and escapes to Poland.😅

[@Andy-W-320]

💯

[@dageekynerd2898]

To continue the Football metaphor what would be considered going to the playoffs for Xbox, as they keep trying to "buy" a championship? Sales? GOTY? How many coaches get a decade to deliver? How many teams send their best players to other teams while they're still on your team?

[@dbcooper409]

I think Amazon is doing a genius level of marketing for the simple fact that none of you mentioned Prime although I am sure all 3 of you sub to it. I think we often think of Prime as a necessity when it really isn't.

[@hihosilver1234]

Nah I don't have or use Prime, and never have. And I'm a huge LotRs fan, Wheel of Time fan, and Fallout fan, but I also abhor modern television so I'm an outlier I assume.

[@Andy-W-320]

The Podcasting Dream Team 💚

[@nickstark8479]

Unpopular opinion: Unattractive character models for Fable has ALWAYS been a FEATURE of the game. Fight me.

[@eugeniabergeron8987]

OK, good show, guys. I don't know what's gonna happen with the Xbox. I don't really care. I'm happy with what they're doing with the games overall, because you know what, what do they make games every year or not? Doesn't really affect me because I play games whenever I feel like it. I'm always playing the same games anyway, but then I also do other games as well, so I'm all over the place. A great show.

[@Mr.Pepperss]

8:49 Start without intro because the audio was💩

[@glenmcl]

I happen to like it.

[@Mr.Pepperss]

@@glenmcl Me to. But Rand muted the music.

[@natpagler4263]

Time stamps?

[@micpango]

You’re the first person here its your job

[@Garbear0119]

You ask, you buy

[@lollipopwaraxe6032]

When colt speaks I stop and listen 🙏🏻🐐

[@demonjoker8614]

I was cleaning my apartment and also in Living Room with everyone: My FAVORITE PODCAST!!!🔥👏🏼🔥👏🏼🐉

[@dowzy7900]

talk that talk

[@jamestomlinson8861]

I'm wondering if the closures within Bethesda was a decision maybe first broached by Bethesda. Xbox has let Bethesda exist more or less independent. They are probably still climbing back from when they were acquired in regard to the decisions they were making before. They've seen the success of Fallout the TV show, which means there's a lot of hype and excitement within Bethesda to make another Fallout game. They don't have the resources immediately available to move forward. They approach Xbox heads for more money, but they are told they need to make cuts in order to jumpstart Fallout video game development. I think this situation were symptoms of Bethesda's past mistakes and them existing more or less independent. Of course, the ultimate decisions like this end with Phil. I think this is a Bethesda thing and I don't think you can extrapolate this situation to other studios like Ninja Theory. I don't think this is a complete indictment of the quality of the games made by the closed studios. I think people are not thinking this through and reacting emotionally. I get that because it sucks that people lost their jobs, especially when Microsoft has billions of dollars. Let's face it, these studios just released games that took at least five years to make and were probably going to take a similar amount of time making their next games. That's a lot of time making games that are not making anyone money, especially when it sounds like they planning on growing the studios.

[@AJay-rk1rp]

Kmart still exists in Australia

[@jqydon]

Idk if it’s the same thing but K-Mart still exists in Australia.

[@dextrip25]

Should really start cutting out the several minutes of "waiting to go live" intros.

[@sonicboom104]

1:40:30 😂😂😂😂 No lies were told here 🤷🏾‍♂️. Y’all really took the gloves off here, respectable.

[@ethanradd]

Xbox (as a console) is so cooked! Rand and Cog are both very perceptive, I'm sure they know this even if they try to spin how dire things are.

[@hihosilver1234]

Idk what you mean?

[@madmardigan3321]

CoD developer direct why.. to let the world know.. GAMEPASS! imo

[@dreame4ter773]

I got my resident evil 5 red 360 banned from playing online cuz I played odst a month early. Got the game in a burned disc only catch was the whole game was in French. Don't regret it

[@DRIZZT0415]

“I’m here for games” So why you stay through all those years of droughts? lol

[@Spartan_83]

Sorry, but I will wait for GTA for PC. I did the same for GTA5 and didn't even play it until 2022.

[@hihosilver1234]

Yea I'm still waiting to play GTAV. I'm not a fan lol.

[@ttahhhaaha]

KZbin fucking loves you. It has recommended me this vids like 1000 times

[@mark4837]

I’ve given up on Xbox. It’s like why do I want or need to own a Xbox console. Obviously Microsoft doesn’t care about its users. What makes it special to be in the Xbox community. Hardware? They don’t launch mid gen consoles now. They put Xbox games on other platforms. So why should I invest in Xbox. Is the Xbox gamer version play better on a Xbox console? So why should I invest in Xbox. They don’t invest in me.

[@hihosilver1234]

I play Xbox because I prefer the platform, controller, and my friends are on Xbox. Other than that? Microsoft can't produce a good game to save their lives tho, everything they touch is poison lol.

[@dageekynerd2898]

How did the Final Fantasy games that released on Xbox do? Square low key never seems to have their expectations met Avengers, GOTG, Hitman, Tomb Raider, Sleeping Dogs all multiplats lol. I think for most gamers exclusive deals are better than acquisitions tbh. Sony locked down SF5 but if they acquired Capcom then everything gets locked down for example.

[@hihosilver1234]

I played all of those games, except Avengers in xbkx., and loved them all, and I adored FF XV, I wish 16 was on Xbox I would buy it rn.

[@Charmer4856]

Gamepass Ultimate, Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, Hulu, Paramount, Peacock, Apple TV, Amazon Prime. And I’m fine with them raising Gamepass price as long as it doesn’t go over 25

[@FernandoAR760]

I dont know it sounds like damage control to me we have been asking xbox for more exclusive for over a decade and now they are getting rid of all their exclusives making the console pointless they already get less games than PS and Nintendo and now their first party games arent exclusive making the console worthless

[@yama_yama_yama]

JFC... I couldn't make it through lol

[@hihosilver1234]

Elaborate?

[@afghanapex]

@@hihosilver1234 That fake phony is unbearable to listen to, I couldn't like more than an hour either and I'm probably a bigger Xbox fan than he is...

[@barcster2003]

I think they are happy about the square enix news but dont realize its because they need to expand to Nintendo. Xbox sales of most of the games arent going to be that high.

[@hihosilver1234]

Yea I would like to see the numbers as to how viable game sales are on Xbox nowadays .

[@chesterwhisler9469]

E for everyone

[@toetag4]

Jez and and is nothing more than a buz kill

[@taylorpepper110]

Cog!! Yes!!!

[@mark4837]

This is why 80 percent of my game purchases are on Steam.

[@tylerisse5120]

2k doesn't own gearbox take two does now

[@cornell9355]

Lord cognito got aura fr

[@butmunch19121993]

Every time i wake up youtube has auto played on to one of the podcasts... I have disliked every single one. Not that i dont like them... just im not atall interested and want it to stop auto playing to it..... Yet it keep happening... Sorry for the dislike spam

[@urmie]

DreamcastLie

[@DetroitsReaper]

Colin will legit not even try to look at the industry doing the same as xbox and somehow he'll make it a gamepass fault thing every time because he has this desire to be right about gamepass and xbox as a whole. the reason ps isnt doing the same as xbox as fast is because they have a bigger base being in 2nd place but it will all catch up to them like it does xbox. we already see the proof in this with them going to do pc ports more and more and much faster rate, also them moving from sales numbers to engagement numbers same as xbox does. its all just a matter of time and how much money they have ahead of xbox.

[@EpicScreenReviews]

you have no idea what you're talking about lol.

[@DetroitsReaper]

@EpicScreenReviews I didn't know he needed or had a defense force 🤣 but he will blame xbox anyway he can I've watched him do this for a while so if you disagree cool idc tbh 😉

[@EpicScreenReviews]

@@DetroitsReaper I mean you do care. You posted your comment publicly because you wanted attention. If you "don't care" you'd say nothing lol. But yeah, you have no clue what you're talking about.

[@DetroitsReaper]

@EpicScreenReviews no Idc about Colin defense force but you tried 💀 so ps isn't doing the same as xbox just doing it at a much slower pace lol ok we all heard the ceo of ps saying the same shit xbox said 6 years ago

[@EpicScreenReviews]

@@DetroitsReaper So clueless.

[@wesleymitchell2125]

I hate this 12 month shit he is talking about make it exclusive period.

[@Tommy_mri]

Damn def not listening to hours of cognito.

[@villes5835]

He keeps moaning in the backround while others are talking all the time making annoying sounds, reason i dont listen to defining duke either

[@Tommy_mri]

@@villes5835yeah colt is bad enough but I still watch his content. Cognito is another level of terrible

[@villes5835]

@@Tommy_mri "Mmmmmmmmmmmm oooooooooo uuuuuuuuuh"

[@hihosilver1234]

Huh?

[@david53444]

Wtf is wrong with you guys? You literally have accomplished nothing in your life.

[@jqydon]

CoD on gamepass is a pivotal moment to me. If we aren’t seeing headlines about significant increases in game pass subs around the launch then I think Phil’s vision for Xbox is officially dead as far as Microsoft is concerned. I wish Satya held the line snd atleast waited for this year to hit, with the strong game lineup and CoD on gamepass before making these drastic decisions.

[@alostcause4035]

The numbers wont move very much. Ps players arent moving to xbox to rent cod. And most who want gamepass on xbox and pc are already subscribed. Casuals and cod only players arent going to subscribe when it costs $204 to rent cod for a year as opposed to $70 to own it.

[@k-rams]

​@@alostcause4035it's not only 70$, you have to count the online sub too

[@owl_theory]

I'd be curious to know how long ago Jez got the invite to Poland. Like did Elsewhere announce themselves completely out of the blue in response to Arkane and Tango going down, to make it harder for MS to pull the plug on them? If MS is knocking off studios without games in the works to reduce new long-term financial commitments (vs games in mid-development), and we don't yet know the extent of how much they want to cut - we're all worried about Ninja Theory next on the chopping block, but I bet this Elsewhere team behind the scenes was thinking ohhhhh shitt and hit the gas

[@hihosilver1234]

1:04:45. Ew i dont even want to think about ES6 after Starfield... I simply dont know if i want a new BGS game anymore, which breaks my heart as a once die hard BGS fan.

[@stevenkennedy6870]

Their is no doom and gloom the reality is Xbox is better than Nintendo and Sony right now because we have gamepass they don’t that alone makes it the best platform

[@chosenreaper6224]

Sega released 5 hardware consoles (not handheld or add-on, might be wrong on the actual amount released) Xbox is on their 4th console 👀 Xbox as a 3rd Party Published is never going away like Sega hasn’t either

[@beandipnipslip9833]

I hate the woke stuff more than most but I don’t see how the new assassins creed is woke. They have done male and female protagonists a few times now so it’s not forced to me and I have typically favored the women over the men cuz the characters were just better. And Yasuke was likely the first black samurai in history so it’s kinda cool they went that route as long as it’s as close to historically accurate, I’m cool with that. Wouldn’t have minded if they were both Asian either, the setting is Japan so….

[@tylerisse5120]

How is this not in Spotify?

[@glenmcl]

I think Jez adds them to other platforms later

[@afcansf5996]

Its clear that Rand doesnt understand how the law works. Whatever you say under oath isnt going disappear just because circumstances changed. You stil can be nailed for it. Im sill on Game Pass for the day and day games; and really hope the games that will drop in the near future will be good. But Im also worried cause a lot people and especially the industry keeps ignoring the biggest elephant in the room. The sales pitch of Elsewhere sounds nice, but it sounds pretty much the same as how they sold 'The Initiative", what I also want to know is whether or not the people working there going to be ideological and ESG/DEI driven. That would set the tone immediately. On the other side Im looking forward to a hard crash of the industry as well, I love gaming but Im sick and tired of the industry being driven by ideological activist, which is that elephant no E-branch want to talk. Despite many franchises lay in the gutter.

[@hihosilver1234]

Ummm corporations drive the industry, and their hidden, ancillary agendas. I wish it was just activism we had to point the finger at, that's a convenient scapegoat is my belief.

[@serialkiller77]

This show just doesn’t work without Jez and Xbox is literally going third party, which will eventually kill the brand

[@hihosilver1234]

I'm enjoying the show but I'm kinda of a new comer. It's hard to find any positivity around Xbox, I don't need to listen to toxic negativity.