Unlocked
IGN
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 things Xbox. Unlocked is a part of Geek Media Podcast Network, an IGN Entertainment Brand. Visit Geek.com for more information.
Location:
San Francisco, CA
Networks:
IGN
Description:
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 things Xbox. Unlocked is a part of Geek Media Podcast Network, an IGN Entertainment Brand. Visit Geek.com for more information.
Twitter:
@PodcastUnlocked
Language:
English
Website:
http://www.ign.com
Email:
podcasts@ign.com
Episodes
Jump Ship Rocks and So Do Many of the Other ID@Xbox Showcase Games – Unlocked 682
2/24/2025
Our Xbox crew reacts to all of the new and cool games we got to see at the latest ID@Xbox Showcase, from Jump Ship to Herding to Outbound to 33 Immortals and more! And joining us to shed a bit more light on the ID@Xbox program and all of these games is ID@Xbox Director Guy Richards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:00:58:59
Avowed Director Carrie Patel and Obsidian Studio Head Feargus Urquhart – Unlocked 681
2/20/2025
As Avowed officially launches this week, its Game Director, Carrie Patel, and the studio head at developer Obsidian Entertainment, Feargus Urquhart, join us for a conversation about their big new first-person fantasy RPG. They discuss how the project evolved since its original unveiling, what they did with the extra development time when its release date moved to February, and much more! Plus: Feargus talks Fallout, shares a Matt Stone and Trey Parker story from making South Park: The Stick of Truth, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:00:54:52
Avowed & South of Midnight: What We Think – Unlocked 680
2/14/2025
We've been waiting for this moment: to be swimming in new first-party Xbox games. We have all been playing both Avowed and South of Midnight, and we discuss our thoughts on each of them. We also spend time talking about our experiences with Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 so far and why we love its grounded medieval RPG world. Finally, we discuss Bloomberg's new report about WB Games and what's next for Rocksteady, Monolith, and Avalanche with regard to Batman, Wonder Woman, and Hogwarts Legacy, respectively. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:01:19:32
Forza Heads to PS5. Nothing Is Safe – Unlocked 679
2/6/2025
The OG Xbox podcaster Danny Peña from Gamertag Radio joins us to discuss one of Xbox's "core four" franchises, Forza, heading to PlayStation 5 in the form of Forza Horizon 5. What does it mean for Xbox? And is any franchise "safe"? Plus: Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is out and awesome (and successful), we show some love to one of the newest games on Xbox Game Pass that you might not be familiar with, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:01:00:42
Xbox’s Future Clarified – Unlocked 678
1/30/2025
As Xbox boss Phil Spencer visits two of our friends' podcasts, we discuss his clarifying comments on the future (not to mention present!) of Xbox. Plus: why we love Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, we talk about BioWare getting restructured and what it means for Mass Effect 5, and more! 00:00:00 - LA Fires Support & Intro 00:02:51 - Poll Results from last week's Xbox Direct 00:09:04 - Ninja Gaiden 2 Black Impressions 00:18:30 - Phill Spencer Talks the Future of Xbox 00:43:45 - BioWare getting restructured & Mass Effect 5 00:56:45 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:01:05:10
NINJA GAIDEN IS BACK HOLY SH*T – Unlocked 677
1/23/2025
We recorded live immediately following this week's fantastic Xbox Developer Direct, so our reactions are very real, highlighted by the stunning announcement of not just the LONG-awaited Ninja Gaiden 4, but also the surprise shadow drop of Ninja Gaiden 2 Black. We've also got plenty of thoughts on Doom: The Dark Ages, South of Midnight, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:00:59:01
Xbox: Third Place, Now Third Party? – Unlocked 676
1/16/2025
With the corroborated rumors that Microsoft is bringing Halo: The Master Chief Collection to PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2, is Xbox now officially a Sega-like third-party publisher? We discuss the complicated (and weird) idea of Halo heading to other platforms. Leading up to that, though, we discuss the rumored details of the Unreal Engine 5 remake of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, what the mystery game in next week's third annual Xbox Developer Direct might be, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:01:27:33
When Will We See Elder Scrolls 6 Again? – Unlocked 675
1/9/2025
Happy New Year! We begin our first episode of 2025 by discussing some changes happening on the podcast before getting into what you really care about: Xbox games! We talk about what we played over the holidays and then talk about two sequels that are likely still pretty far away: The Elder Scrolls 6 and Mass Effect 5. When will we see TES6 next when it's already been over six years since its official announcement? And will the Paragon/Renegade system return for Mass Effect 5? Join us to discuss it all! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:01:06:10
Do's and Don'ts for Xbox in 2025 – Unlocked 674
12/26/2024
In our final show of 2024, we look ahead to 2025 and give Microsoft some advice in the form of do's and dont's for Xbox in the new year. Thanks so much for listening all year long, and we'll see you next week for the start of a new and exciting year of Xbox! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:00:59:40
What’s Your Xbox Game of the Year? – Unlocked 673
12/18/2024
IGN has announced its Xbox Game of the Year, so now it's our turn to talk about our individual picks for best Xbox game of the year. And then we look ahead and discuss our personal most anticipated Xbox games for 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:00:59:42
The Game Awards Was Stacked This Year – Unlocked 672
12/13/2024
We react to this week's big event, The Game Awards, and the many reveals it brought with it, including The Witcher 4, Elden Ring Nightreign, gameplay for The Outer Worlds 2, and so, so much more! #GOTYWatch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:01:07:16
Indiana Jones Is the Best Xbox Exclusive in Years – Unlocked 671
12/5/2024
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is here, and we discuss in great (spoiler-free) detail why we think it's the best Xbox exclusive in years. Plus: our predictions for reveals we'll get at next week's Game Awards, Xbox Game Pass's December lineup, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:01:25:37
The Xbox Games We’re Most Thankful For – Unlocked 670
11/27/2024
Happy Thanksgiving to our USA listeners! In the spirit of the holiday this week, we're discussing the Xbox games we're most thankful for. Not necessarily the very best ones, but the ones that mean a lot to us that we're thankful for. Special guest: David "Fame2K" Whitaker from LV1 Gaming. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:01:09:33
STALKER 2 First Impressions – Unlocked 669
11/21/2024
Our STALKER 2 reviewer Michael Higham joins us to discuss his thoughts so far as he's neck-deep in Xbox's big new exclusive first-person shooter. Plus: we discuss the Game of the Year nominees announced for this year's Game Awards, including whether or not an expansion pack should be included. We also talk about what we want from Amazon's live-action Mass Effect TV show, lament how Splinter Cell remains cursed after the long-gestating Tom Hardy-led live-action movie is announced as officially dead, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:01:27:32
GTA 6 Release Date: Place Your Bets – Unlocked 668
11/14/2024
Take-Two's CEO keeps insisting that Grand Theft Auto 6 will be released in 2025. Do we believe him? We discuss why (spoiler) we don't. Plus: a new Phil Spencer interview sees the Xbox boss being quite candid about both an Xbox handheld and the future of exclusives on Xbox hardware, and we have a LOT of thoughts. And we kick things off with a report from IGN contributor Travis Northup, who just got back from Montreal to preview Compulsion Games' new game South of Midnight. Join us! This week's show is Ryan McCaffrey, Stella Chung, Travis Northup, and is produced by Nick Maillet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:00:58:59
Celebrating Halo 2’s 20th Anniversary – Unlocked 667
11/7/2024
November 9 marks the 20th anniversary of Halo 2's release. We celebrate one of the greatest Xbox games ever by welcoming fellow veteran Xbox gamer Danny Peña from Gamertag Radio to share memories of playing it for the first time, ranking the original dozen multiplayer maps, plus a little surprise from a special guest. This week’s show is Ryan McCaffrey, Destin Legarie, Danny Peña from Gamertag Radio, and is produced by Nick Maillet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:01:10:32
Getting Evil With Diablo's Rod Fergusson on Episode 666 – Unlocked 666
10/31/2024
We celebrate our perfectly-timed-for-Halloween episode 666 with Rod Fergusson, the super-nice franchise head of one of gaming's most evil franchises, Diablo. Rod talks about the new Diablo 4 expansion pack, Vessel of Hatred, the new Spiritborn character class, his reaction to Gears of War: E-Day as the former studio head at The Coalition, and even what his Gears 6 would've looked like. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:01:03:44
Xbox Is Cooking This Holiday – Unlocked 665
10/24/2024
With STALKER 2, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle all releasing one right after another later this Fall, Xbox is set to seriously cook at the end of 2024. Destin gives his glowing hands-on impressions of his recent STALKER 2 preview session, Seth Macy joins us to gush about Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, and Ryan will give his hands-on impressions of Indy...soon. Plus: former Halo senior developer Joseph Staten is back on the free agent market after Netflix shut down its AAA gaming studio, Halo Infinite's rumored battle royale mode was real before getting canceled, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:00:59:44
Xbox's Latest Partner Preview Stream Was Fantastic – Unlocked 664
10/17/2024
We went on the air live, immediately following the latest Xbox Partner Preview livestream. We gave our in-the-moment reactions to Xbox's fantastic presentation that included several reveals, including Remedy's Left 4 Dead-style session-based 3-player co-op multiplayer FPS, FBC Firebreak. We also discussed the adorable dog factor powering The Legend of Baboo along with Wuchang Fallen Feathers, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, Alan Wake 2's Lakehouse expansion, Mouse: P.I. for Hire, Subnautica 2, and plenty more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:00:58:11
The Future of Halo Is Unreal – Unlocked 663
10/10/2024
Our resident Xbox crew (including Miranda!) reacts to and analyzes the huge Halo news of all future projects being moved to Unreal Engine 5 as well as the studio rebranding from 343 Industries to Halo Studios. We predict what the next mainline Halo game is, what we might get before that, how it ties into a possible PlayStation debut for the franchise, and much more! Download the Opera GX: IGN Edition browser at http://Opera.com/gx/ign Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:01:02:56