Last week things got a little hectic in the world of Xbox. Following January reports and speculation that Xbox exclusives Sea of Thieves and Hi-Fi Rush could arrive on PS5, February saw convincing rumors about higher profile games like Starfield and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, as well as long-standing Xbox exclusives like Halo and Gears of War attaining multiplatform status.
Update: The Xbox business update podcast is now available in its entirety on YouTube. We learned that Xbox plans to continue making consoles, has a hardware announcement planned for holiday, and has lofty ambitions for next-gen. We also learned that Starfield and Indiana Jones will remain platform exclusives, and Diablo 4 is headed to Game Pass.
For a more comprehensive rundown of the podcast, checkout our roundup of everything announced during the Xbox business update event.
Original story continues below.
The rumors haven’t gone over well amongst members of the Xbox fanbase. Of course, even non-die hard Xbox fans might find the prospect of Master Chief reloading his assault rifle with the square button more than a little unusual (though I use the bumper jumper control setup, so I’d be tapping circle). CEO of Microsoft Gaming Phil Spencer addressed the rumors on X by stating that the company has been “planning a business update” which should address this multiplatform commotion.That update is set to kick off today, February 15.
Read More: The Church of Xbox Is Going Through Its Own Armageddon
If you’re hoping to check out the podcast as soon as it goes up, here’s where to tune in.
Check out the Official Podcast on YouTube at 3 p.m. EST
The February 15 special edition of the Official Xbox Podcast will go live on Xbox’s official YouTube channel at the following times:
- 12 p.m. PST
- 3 p.m. EST
- 8 p.m. GMT
As indicated in the official announcement of today’s unique episode, you can also listen to the podcast “wherever you listen to your podcasts,” so check outlets like Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
What to expect during the February 15 Official Xbox Podcast
While there’s still a bit of mystery about what exactly we should expect to hear during today’s podcast, we do know that Spencer is expected to deliver an update on Microsoft’s “vision for the future of Xbox.”
As mentioned before, this follows a week of turmoil in the Xbox fanbase as convincing-enough leaks regarding the exclusive status of several major Xbox franchises might make the move to multi-platform status, possibly appearing on PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch.
The Official Xbox Podcast is expected to go live after a rumored Nintendo Direct, which has only fed into the speculation that certain Xbox games are expected to arrive at least on Switch.
The rumors over the last week follow other wild changes at team Xbox, including a massive set of layoffs alongside record-setting buyouts of other game companies to grow the brand.
Whether today’s news is an exciting reveal of something or more news to depress Xbox fans remains to be seen. The special edition of the Official Xbox Podcast kicks off February 15 at 3 p.m. EST / 12 p.m. PST.
