BioWare Is Gone, Mass Effect Cancelled & Xbox’s Next-Gen Gamble

BioWare is closing after more than 30 years, and development on the next Mass Effect has been cancelled. Luke Lohr and Captain Logun are joined by Brian Altano of The X Button to discuss BioWare’s legacy, what may happen to Mass Effect next, the realities of AAA game development, publisher expectations, monetization, and the growing pressure facing studios throughout the industry. The conversation then turns to Xbox’s future, including Microsoft’s planned handheld, Project Helix, rising hardware prices, Game Pass, exclusivity, Play Anywhere, and what Xbox needs to offer players heading into another generation. Brian also shares some thoughts on games media, launching The X Button, game development, and one particularly memorable Resident Evil interview. Thoughtful discussions on gaming without the console war noise. Support The Expansion Pass: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheExpansionPass Chapters 00:00 Welcome to The Expansion Pass 01:46 Brian Altano & The X Button 08:41 Creativity, AI & Independent Content 18:27 Games Media & Game Development 26:52 Brian’s Resident Evil Interview Story 40:01 The Expansion Pass Updates 42:20 Xbox Handheld & Project Helix 47:14 The Next-Gen Pricing Problem 51:50 Gaming Needs a Cheaper Entry Point 53:49 Can Xbox Win With a Handheld? 59:20 What Xbox & PlayStation Need Next 1:05:42 What Justifies an $1,800 Xbox? 1:09:19 Call of Duty & Xbox 1:14:13 Exclusives & the Next Generation 1:19:58 BioWare Closes & Mass Effect Is Cancelled 1:22:08 Dragon Age & Online Outrage 1:26:35 Publishers, Investors & Monetization 1:28:05 Politics & Representation in Games 1:32:46 Rocksteady, Suicide Squad & Publisher Mandates 1:34:37 What Happens to Mass Effect? 1:40:56 Closing Thoughts

The Expansion Pass crosses over with The Nerd Chat for a late-night discussion covering GTA 6, Xbox’s evolving strategy, new hardware, and what everyone has been playing. The crew digs into reports that GTA 6 could arrive on PC in Q1 2027, whether Rockstar still benefits from delaying its PC releases, and the role PlayStation’s marketing agreement could play. From there, we break down the new Xbox Nano Controller and Xbox Labs, including the potential implications for game preservation, backwards compatibility, AI-assisted development, mobile gaming, and Xbox’s next generation. Then the conversation turns to one of the bigger questions surrounding Xbox: should Microsoft keep more games exclusive? We discuss Minecraft, Clockwork Revolution, Elder Scrolls, increasingly expensive console hardware, and whether Xbox’s multiplatform strategy ultimately helps or hurts its hardware business. Plus: early Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 impressions, Gears of War, World of Warcraft Forever, Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, The Witcher 3, and plenty more. Chapters: 0:00 – The Expansion Pass x The Nerd Chat 6:45 – GTA 6 PC in Q1 2027? 22:42 – Xbox Nano Controller 35:18 – Xbox Labs, AI & Game Preservation 49:17 – New Releases & Modern Warfare 4 55:36 – Should Xbox Bring Back Exclusives? 1:08:30 – What We’ve Been Playing 1:15:53 – World of Warcraft Forever & Boltgun 2 1:24:28 – Best Food We Had This Week 1:37:11 – Closing Out the Crossover

Mathieu Côté of Behaviour Interactive returns for his third conversation with The Expansion Pass to discuss the future of Dead by Daylight. Mathieu shares new details on the 2027 overhaul, including how long it has been in active development, how Behaviour is balancing the current live game against the rebuild, and what the update could mean for legacy licensed characters like Michael Myers. He also responds to the recent Terrifier / Art the Clown criticism, discusses why Art may be the most intense killer Behaviour has ever created, and explains whether characters that have left Dead by Daylight could eventually return. Additional topics include the Dead by Daylight movie with Blumhouse and Atomic Monster, Jason Voorhees, Halloween and the growing asymmetrical horror genre, Behaviour’s work with The Coalition on Gears of War: E-Day, The Division 2 crossover, UGC tools, Stephen King, Pennywise, Scooby-Doo, Goosebumps and more. Chapters: 0:00 Mathieu Côté Returns 0:59 Dead by Daylight’s 2027 Overhaul 10:01 Licensed Characters and Legacy Updates 16:27 Rebuilding DBD While Supporting the Live Game 23:14 Behaviour’s Gears of War: E-Day Connection 26:31 Skins, Chapters and the Future of DBD Content 33:56 New Players and the Asymmetrical Horror Genre 36:34 Dead by Daylight Movie, Blumhouse & Atomic Monster 42:16 The Division 2, Fortnite and DBD in Other Games 47:14 Halloween, SAW: Genesis and Asymmetrical Horror 50:50 Scooby-Doo, Goosebumps and Terrifier 54:37 Stephen King, Pennywise and Dream Licenses 57:19 Maps, Bots and UGC Tools 1:01:43 Cult Horror and Religion in DBD 1:05:14 What’s Next for Dead by Daylight 1:06:25 Art the Clown: DBD’s Most Intense Killer 1:08:09 Could Michael Myers Return?

The Coalition joins The Expansion Pass for a launch-day conversation about Gears of War: E-Day. Nicole Fawcette, Aryan Hanbeck, and Matt Searcy discuss making the Locust frightening again, building and destroying Kalona, and developing Marcus and Dom before they became the iconic brothers fans know. We also dig into how the team approaches changes to established Gears lore, why the franchise has such a powerful connection with the Hispanic and Mexican communities, and how much freedom Horde Siege has to bring characters from across Gears history into the fight. Plus, the team reflects on E-Day’s reception and what it means to have Gears back at the center of the gaming conversation. CHAPTERS 00:00 — Welcome The Coalition 00:39 — Why Gears Resonates With the Hispanic Community 03:59 — Building and Destroying Kalona 08:49 — Making the Locust Terrifying Again 14:27 — Marcus & Dom Before the Brotherhood 18:13 — Changing Gears Lore Without Breaking It 21:32 — Horde Siege, Canon & Returning Characters 24:39 — E-Day’s Reception and the Xbox Conversation 27:59 — The Coalition’s Message to Gears Fans

Gears of War: E-Day takes center stage as Captain Logun is joined by Jesse Norris from Day One and Joseph Moran from The Trophy Room: A PlayStation Podcast. Jesse breaks down his review of E-Day, including the campaign, multiplayer, Horde Siege, visuals, and why The Coalition’s latest is landing so strongly with longtime Gears fans. The conversation also covers Xbox’s new Mythic Achievements, reports addressing whether Xbox is actually for sale, God of War: Laufey pre-orders, PlayStation’s apparent retreat from traditional Collector’s Editions, physical vs. digital games, accessibility and game design, and the rising cost of AAA development. A wide-ranging discussion on Gears, Xbox, PlayStation, and where the industry may be heading next.

Former Chairman of PlayStation Studios and former CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment America Shawn Layden joins The Expansion Pass for an extensive conversation about PlayStation, Xbox, and a games industry undergoing major change. Layden discusses the strategic bets platform holders make, the future of physical games, subscription services like Game Pass and PlayStation Plus, the changing purpose of console exclusives, and how PlayStation’s approach to PC fits into the larger evolution of the platform. We also look back at his years with PlayStation, including the importance of first-party studios, Sony’s acquisition of Insomniac Games, the balance between single-player experiences and live-service ambitions, and an era when PlayStation communicated with players very differently. It’s a conversation about where PlayStation has been, where the console business appears to be going, and what may be lost—or gained—as the traditional boundaries between platforms continue to change. Topics include: Shawn Layden • PlayStation • Xbox • Physical Games • Digital Games • Game Pass • PlayStation Plus • Console Exclusives • PC Gaming • Insomniac Games • First-Party Studios • Live-Service Games • Single-Player Games • The Future of Consoles

Halo is moving to Activision as Microsoft reshapes Xbox Game Studios. Luke and Captain Logun examine what the restructuring means for Halo, Ninja Theory, Obsidian and Bethesda, Rare, Turn 10 and Playground Games—and whether putting Xbox’s biggest franchises under fewer publishing organizations can actually get them moving again. Plus, we discuss Project Helix and physical games, Xbox’s broader strategy, Mythic Achievements, Wolverine, Control Resonant, and Gears of War: E-Day. Follow The Expansion Pass on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast app of choice so the next episode lands automatically.   00:00 Intro, Gears E-Day & What We're Playing 18:23 Xbox Layoffs & Halo Moves to Activision 21:37 Activision, Rare & Xbox Studio Management 30:29 Ninja Theory & the Future of Halo 38:08 Obsidian Joins Bethesda + Fallout 44:05 Turn 10 & Playground Games Merge 48:24 Wolverine & Control Resonant Impressions 1:00:13 Project Helix & the Future of Physical Games 1:07:11 Xbox Market Share, Game Pass & PC Strategy 1:21:10 Mythic Achievements, Upcoming Games & Wrap

Xbox had a huge week. We break down its Tokyo Game Show push, Hideo Kojima’s latest Xbox appearance, and what the growing Japanese and Asian partnership strategy means for the platform. Then BlizzCon delivers some enormous announcements: StarCraft is finally returning, Diablo V is already on the horizon, and World of Warcraft: Forever opens up a much bigger discussion about Blizzard’s future under Microsoft. We also dig into Marvel’s Wolverine’s strong early sales, Gears of War: E-Day, AI-assisted game development, The Sinking City 2, Xbox achievements, listener questions, and more. Clear takes. No console-war noise.

PlayStation walked away from Hideo Kojima’s PHYSINT — and Xbox stepped in. Luke and Logun break down what the surprising publishing deal means for Kojima Productions, Xbox, and a PlayStation brand facing growing questions about its first-party direction. Marvel’s Wolverine reviews are also in. With Insomniac’s latest landing below the studio’s usual critical standard, is a score in the high 70s really cause for concern? Or has the conversation around review scores become disconnected from whether a game is actually worth playing? Nintendo, meanwhile, had a massive week. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is getting its long-awaited remake, Metroid Ravenous is on the way, Persona 6 makes an appearance, and Switch 2 continues to build an increasingly impressive lineup. Plus: Forza Horizon 6 and PlayStation, Fable vs. God of War, the future of physical games, Xbox’s disc-to-digital strategy, and whether dissatisfied PlayStation players would actually move to Xbox — or simply move to PC. Clear takes. No console-war noise. Support The Expansion Pass on Patreon: patreon.com/TheExpansionPass

Xbox Cloud Gaming is getting worse at the exact moment Microsoft wants xCloud on more devices. Game Pass Ultimate subscribers are being capped at just 15 hours of cloud gaming per month, with even tighter limits for Premium and Essential — and we have some serious questions about what that says about Microsoft’s cloud strategy. Then there’s PlayStation. Sony’s latest State of Play was a rough watch, even if a surprising number of the games shown are also headed to Xbox. We break down what went wrong, what actually looked good, and why Sony’s showcase strategy continues to feel strange. Nintendo, meanwhile, is doing the opposite: two Nintendo Directs are coming, including a Zelda 40th Anniversary presentation, and expectations are already climbing. We also get into Onimusha: Way of the Sword, which is earning excellent reviews and has quickly become one of our favorite releases of the year; Halloween: The Game, IllFonic’s latest attempt to break through in the asymmetrical horror genre; and The Blood of Dawnwalker, which is already celebrating strong reviews and major sales. Plus: Tim Schafer and Double Fine’s bizarre post-Xbox independence video sends Luke over the edge, GTA VI is already moving PS5 and Xbox hardware, Xbox’s disc-to-digital program gets even more interesting for handheld players, and we indulge in some TMNT: Mutants in Manhattan remaster speculation. Xbox Cloud Gaming limits. Sony State of Play. Nintendo Direct. GTA VI. Onimusha. Halloween. Double Fine. There is a lot to fight about this week. Clear takes. No console-war noise.