Shows / Unlocked
Unlocked
These days, practically everything is an Xbox, and Xbox fans deserve to celebrate their passion for Xbox everywhere. Unlocked is the definitive Xbox podcast, hosted by Ryan McCaffrey alongside a panel of expert guests. Each week, they dive deep into breaking Xbox news, exclusive game reveals, and heated debates on the future of Xbox—covering everything from consoles and PC to Game Pass and cloud gaming. Whether you're a longtime Xbox fan or just jumping in, Unlocked is your go-to source for all…
Episodes
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Mortal Kombat Leaks, Mikami Leaves, and More in a Wild Xbox Week – Unlocked 584
Tons to talk about this week! We start by discussing our disappointment in the new gameplay showcase for Rocksteady's Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League…
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Activision-Blizzard Buyout Drama Heats Up - Unlocked 583
Microsoft makes 10-year deals to bring Call of Duty to other platforms with not one but TWO different companies in an effort to get regulators to approve the…
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Xbox Game Pass: Good for Gamers, Bad for Game Sales? – Unlocked 582
Microsoft admits in a court filing as part of the proposed Activision-Blizzard acquisition that game sales suffer when games get added to Xbox Game Pass. We…
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Our Titanfall 3 Dreams Might Be Dead – Unlocked 581
A busy week of Xbox news has us discussing the recent cancellation of a secret Titanfall single-player project at Respawn and why we sadly may never see…
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Hi-Fi Rush Must Be Celebrated – Unlocked 580
Now that we've had a week to play Hi-Fi Rush and see the incredible viral reaction to it, we had a deep and extended conversation about Tango Gameworks'…
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Xbox Direct Reactions and Analysis – Unlocked 579
We recorded Unlocked immediately after Microsoft's Xbox Developer Direct presentation this week. These are our in-the-moment reactions to the excellent…
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Our Xbox Direct Predictions – Unlocked 578
Spawn on Me host/creator Kahlief Adams returns to Unlocked to tell us all about Spawn on Me's upcoming awards show, The Spawnies. He then sticks around as we…
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Xbox Developer Direct Event Confirmed for January – Unlocked 577
Microsoft has finally confirmed a Developer Direct event that will showcase Redfall, Forza Motorsport, Minecraft Legends, and Elder Scrolls Online with a…
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9 Xbox Predictions for 2023 – Unlocked 576
00:00:00 - Intro & Housekeeping 00:06:04 - Xbox Predictions for 2023 00:35:24 - QA Workers at Zenimax form a union 00:41:20 Xbox Games With Gold 00:48:32…
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Our Favorite Xbox Games of 2022 – Unlocked 575
Our last episode of 2022 focuses on our personal favorite Xbox games of the year. From the biggest AAA blockbusters to the smallest under-the-radar indies…
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High on Life Is a Blast – Unlocked 574
High on Life has arrived, and it closes out Xbox Game Pass's 2022 on a high note! We rave about Justin Roiland's comedy-FPS and discuss what we love about it…
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The Xbox Game Price Increase Is Finally Happening – Unlocked 573
Xbox has decided to increase the prices of their next-gen games created specifically for the Xbox Series X|S hardware to $70. This is after being priced at $60…
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Marvel’s Midnight Suns Interview w/ Creative Director Jake Solomon – Unlocked 572
Marvel's Midnight Suns creative director Jake Solomon joins us to discuss Firaxis' new superhero strategy-RPG -- including a couple of Easter eggs that big…
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Splinter Cell Remake: Finally, We Get an Update – Unlocked 571
As Ubisoft Toronto developers discuss their design philosophy behind the Splinter Cell Remake and show off a bit of concept art, we react to their plans for…
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Remembering Kevin Conroy’s Impact on Batman Video Games – Unlocked 570
Our Xbox crew mourns the passing of legendary longtime Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy, discussing how his presence and performance in the Batman: Arkham games…
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Gears of War is FINALLY Getting a Movie (and Show) – Unlocked 569
Join Stella Chung, Parris Lilly, Gary Whitta, and Destin Legarie on covering the big news that Netflix announced a Gears of war movie and adult animated show…
UnlockedIGN Presents | The Callisto Protocol: Helix Station
Subscribe to the horror series set in the universe of “The Callisto Protocol,” the hotly anticipated game from Striking Distance Studios. Helix Station was…
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Phil Spencer Ends the Call-of-Duty-on-PlayStation Debate – Unlocked 568
Phil Spencer went on quite a press tour this week, leaving us with a lot to discuss, including: a definitive end to the Call-of-Duty-on-PlayStation debate (or…
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Fallout 4 Goes Next-Gen and the Future of Fallout – Unlocked 567
Fallout 4 is getting a next-gen update for Xbox Series X|S, but is it going to be the only Fallout we get on this generation of Xbox consoles? We lament just…
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Xbox & PlayStation’s Activision-Blizzard Battle Gets Weird(er) – Unlocked 566
The Microsoft-vs.-Sony drama over Xbox's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard took another turn for the weird this week. We examine each company's…
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Xbox Game Pass Makes Bank – Unlocked 565
We finally get some real numbers from Xbox Game Pass, including how much revenue it generated last year and how much Xbox is paying for the Ark games on Game…
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The Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2: What We Think of CDPR’s Bold Roadmap – Unlocked 564
We kick off this week's show with our hands-on impressions of Gotham Knights. Then, we spend the bulk of the show discussing the 10-year roadmap released by CD…
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Who Should Make a New Ninja Gaiden? – Unlocked 563
00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:48 - Our Thoughts on the Modern Warfare II Beta 00:11:18 - Grounded v1.0 is here! 00:14:44 - Team Ninja is Open to Outsourcing Ninja…
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GTA 6’s Reveal Was Ruined. Now What? – Unlocked 562
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…
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Jim Ryan Isn’t Happy About Call of Duty and Xbox – Unlocked 561
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…
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343 Industries and Halo: Is the Arranged Marriage Working? – Unlocked 560
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…
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Xbox Game Pass ‘Friends & Family’ Price Speculation – Unlocked 559
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…
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Xbox's Fall Lineup Locks In – Unlocked 558
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…
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We Deserve a AAA Lord of the Rings Game – Unlocked 557
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…
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Xbox Series S Performance Boost & an Activision Update - Unlocked 556
With the news that the Xbox Series S Performance Boost benefiting developers after direct feedback, the Podcast Unlocked crew discusses the success of the…
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Xbox Making Great Moves for Team Chat, Less so for Summer Events – Unlocked 555
00:00:00 - Intro & Discord is Coming to Xbox! 00:06:57 - What Other Things Should Xbox Improve? 00:15:18 - Halo Infinite Co-op, No Matchmaking? 00:27:24 - What…
Unlocked17 Big Xbox Games for 2023 – Unlocked 554
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?…
UnlockedConcerns About Halo Infinite’s Future – Unlocked 553
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…
UnlockedHalo Fans Rejoice! Legendary Halo 2 E3 Demo To Be Released – Unlocked 552
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…
UnlockedHow Far Away Is Mass Effect 5? - Unlocked 551
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 Read Dead…
UnlockedHell Freezes Over: Xbox Outsells PS5 in Japan - Unlocked 550
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…
UnlockedOur Xbox Showcase Top Picks
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…
UnlockedXbox Showcase Live Reactions
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…
UnlockedWelcome to Xbox Hype Week!
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…
UnlockedWhat We Want from Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
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…
UnlockedWas Xbox 360’s Fall 2007 the Best 3 Months in Gaming History?
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…
UnlockedXbox Fans Fed Up After Starfield, Redfall Delays
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…
UnlockedMass Effect Next: Is Shepard Back?
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…
Unlocked12 Xbox Showcase Predictions
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…
UnlockedXbox Makes Bank in Latest Sales Figures
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…
UnlockedPortal 3 Needs to Happen
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…
UnlockedHalo Infinite Season 2 Might Have Some Tricks Up Its Sleeve – Unlocked 539
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…
UnlockedIs the Xbox Series X Shortage Over?
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…
UnlockedWill GTA+ Be Worth It?
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…
UnlockedTunic Creator Interview + New Witcher Game Revealed
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…
UnlockedHalo TV Impressions + Tunic Rocks!
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…
UnlockedHalo Infinite Season 2 Hype Check
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…
UnlockedWhat Call of Duty’s Year Off Means for the Series
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…
UnlockedHalo Infinite Made Life Tough for Battlefield 2042?
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…
UnlockedActivision’s Future Xbox Exclusivity Gets Clarified
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…
UnlockedOur GTA 6 Hopes and Wishes
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…
UnlockedXbox Gamers React to Bungie Joining PlayStation
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…
UnlockedOur Dream Xbox-Activision Collabs + Who Should Xbox Buy Next?
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…
UnlockedXbox Buys Activision Blizzard - Holy S&*%
Xbox continues its spending spree, buying Activision-Blizzard for almost $70 billion. We spent almost the entire podcast discussing it, from future game…
UnlockedHow Much Dying Light 2 Is Too Much?
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…