The Expansion Pass

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 ...

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 ...

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 Ach...

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 Bl...

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 ...

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’...

Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto VI gameplay reveal shows the enormous scale of Leonida, including reports of an 80-hour playthrough and a map roughly three times the playable size of Red Dead Redemption 2. We also debate GTA VI's potential 30 FPS target and whether Rockstar gets more leeway than other developers.

Microsoft's next generation comes into focus as Xbox details its new disc-to-digital entitlement program and Project Helix i...

GTA 6 has been hacked again—and this time Take-Two is going after the source. Microsoft and Discord have been pulled into the investigation as Rockstar faces yet another major leak surrounding gaming's most anticipated release.

Meanwhile, Xbox is changing how it does business. Microsoft has stopped providing digital sales data to Circana, PlayStation and Steam logos are disappearing ...

The E-Day beta is drawing impressive numbers, including an estimated 1.2 million Xbox players, while Steam engagement has already surpassed recent Gears releases. Luke and Captain Logun break down what the early response means for Gears, whether Siege could broaden the franchise's audience, and why Xbox needs to capitalize on the opportunity.

Plus, we dig into the first hands-on impression...

Xbox is making major changes to backward compatibility, Achievements, game preservation, and the overall Xbox experience — while Gears of War: E-Day may be shaping up to be something special.

This week on The Expansion Pass, Luke Lohr and Captain Logun break down Xbox’s expanding backward compatibility plans, including what they could mean for original Xbox and Xbox 360 games across console and PC. We also discuss the l...

One of the biggest Xbox releases of the year is almost here, and Jampack Sam joins us after going hands-on with Gears of War: E-Day.

We break down everything he learned from the multiplayer preview, including Horde Siege, weapon customization, PvP, classes, progression, and whether The Coalition has found the right balance between classic Gears and modern gameplay.

We also dive into Micros...

Andrew Hulshult has become one of the defining composers of modern FPS games, with credits including DOOM Eternal: The Ancient Gods, DOOM + DOOM II, DUSK, Prodeus, Heretic + Hexen, Quake Champions, and more.

In this exclusive interview, Andrew joins The Expansion Pass to discuss his journey from learning guitar through Napster to becoming one of gaming's most recognizable composers. We exp...

God of War: Laufey officially launches in February 2027, Halo Campaign Evolved and Splatoon Raiders earn strong critical reviews, and this week we're joined by Jefftroidvania to discuss Valve's new Steam Machine and the future of SteamOS.

On Episode 330 of The Expansion Pass, we break down one of gaming's biggest upcoming release windows, compare Halo Campaign Evolved and Splatoon Raiders ...

Bethesda finally pulled back the curtain on what's next.

This week on The Expansion Pass, Luke Lohr and Captain Logun break down Todd Howard's biggest interview in years, including new details on Fallout 5, The Elder Scrolls VI, Starfield, and Obsidian's return to the Fallout universe. They discuss what Fallout 3 and New Vegas remasters could mean for longtime fans and whether Bethesda's n...

Xbox is finally revealing what comes after its historic restructuring.

Luke and Logan break down Bloomberg's report that Obsidian is shifting toward Fallout, what that means for Xbox's renewed focus on pillar franchises, and whether Asha Sharma's strategy gives Xbox its clearest direction in years.

They also discuss Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced's strong critical reception, PlayStat...

One announcement dominated the gaming industry this week: PlayStation is ending physical game releases beginning in 2028. Is this the inevitable future of gaming, or should players be worried about ownership, preservation, pricing, and consumer rights?

Luke Lohr and Captain Logun break down Sony's historic decision, what it means for the PlayStation 6, why digital ownership still lacks mea...

This week on The Expansion Pass, we're tackling one of the biggest questions facing the gaming industry: is gaming becoming too expensive?

Microsoft has announced significant Xbox console price increases, Grand Theft Auto VI is launching at $80, and Nintendo's Switch 2 continues to post impressive early sales despite rising hardware costs. We discuss what these changes mean for players, wh...

Xbox appears headed toward a major strategic shift, and we're breaking down what it could mean for Game Pass, first-party studios, and the future of the platform.

Captain Logan is joined by Mr. Bad Bit of The Trophy Room and Daddy Dwally of The Nerd Chat to discuss reports surrounding Xbox studio restructuring, Game Pass concerns, Halo: Campaign Evolved's PlayStation Plus controversy, and Sony's growing Bungie problem.

We also dive...

Summer Game Fest 2026 is in the books, and we're breaking down everything we saw in Los Angeles.

This week on The Expansion Pass, Luke and Logan discuss the biggest announcements from Summer Game Fest, Xbox Showcase, PlayStation State of Play, and Nintendo Direct. From Resident Evil Veronica and The Last Ronin to Grounded 2, Wolf Among Us 2, and Onimusha: Way of the Sword, we rank the showcases and debate which company had the stro...