This week has been a whirlwind of rumors, speculation, and reports centered around Microsoft's possible direction for the future of Xbox as a brand, as a console, and what that means for the gaming world in general. Gaming social media imploded so crazily that Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer had to reveal a business summit is occurring next week that will cover this.

Sean and Marc discuss this possible major change to gaming, will it really be all that bad? Is it a big deal if Xbox no longer has any "true exclusives?" does this mean that it is now Game Pass or bust? What avenues does Microsoft gaming really have at this point? And is this the death of the Xbox Console?

Also, Marc is near the end of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Sean has some thoughts on Persona 3 Reload and speaks generally (without spoilers) about the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth demo and some things from the State of Play.

Plus, Disney invests big money into Epic Games and promises a major Fortnite partnership, Capcom asks which of their franchises you'd like to see make a return, rumors on the Nintendo Switch 2 announcement, Knuckles TV show news, and more!

You can also watch this episode in video form on the W2M Network Youtube Channel, please give us a like, comment on the episode, and give the channel a subscribe and follow as well: https://youtube.com/live/PFov4lQW9cY

Timestamps:

00:01:00: START

00:02:50: Housekeeping

-------------- MAIN TOPIC ----------

00:04:10 What's going on at Xbox? Are they about to go Multi-Platform? Is the Xbox Console Dead?

00:36:30: Ubisoft defends the $70 Price tag of Skull & Bones because it is a AAAA Game

-------------- Games We Are Playing ---------

00:42:30: Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (Marc beat it)

00:52:25: Persona 3 Reload (Sean)

00:58:35 Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Demo (Sean)

----------- What's in the News --------

01:03:25: Report comes out that Nintendo Switch 2 could have its announcement in March

01:05:55: Capcom asks in a survey what games you'd like to see get remade or have a sequel

01:10:55: Disney invests $1.5 Billion into Epic Games

01:16:35: Yoshinori Kitase says he'd change the Junction system for a Final Fantasy 8 Remake

01:18:55: Kadokawa acquires Octopath Traveler Developers Acquire

01:22:15: Knuckles TV Show gets release date

---------------- The End ----------

01:23:50: Games Coming out this week

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- News Story Links -

Ubisoft defends Skull & Bones Pricing: https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/ubisoft-ceo-defends-skull-and-bones-70-price-despite-its-live-service-leanings-calls-it-quadruple-a/

Nintendo Switch 2 Could Be Announced as early as March 2024: https://gamerant.com/rumor-nintendo-switch-2-reveal-march-2024/

Capcom asks about old franchises in a survey: https://www.ign.com/articles/capcom-asks-players-if-they-want-sequels-to-okami-dead-rising-mega-man-and-more

Disney Invests $1.5 Billion in Epic Games: https://www.theverge.com/2024/2/7/24065281/disney-epic-games-investment-fortnite-metaverse

Yoshinori Kitase says he change the Junction system for a Final Fantasy VIII Remake: https://insider-gaming.com/final-fantasy-8-director-would-rework-battle-system-in-a-remake/

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