The Expansion Pass

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.