The Lost Sparks caught up with the thinking man’s games journalist, Ryan McCaffrey, to discuss his latest venture Nerd Styles, his career highlights and favourite gaming moments.
2026 will mark the 25th anniversary of Xbox, and Phil Spencer has teased it as a "really special year" for the games division.
You got downvotes by pathetic gamers for feeling hopeful about good games coming out next year. Imagine how small your brain must be to downvote someone excited for future gaming joy? It is pretty neat to see people's world view blow up in front of them as they realize Microsoft has put themselves in a driver's seat that Sony hasn't been able to touch all generation.... What's even more pathetic is the same people downvoting you are the same people wishlisting Microsoft games on their ps5s 😂
“Imagine how small your brain must be to downvote someone excited for future gaming joy?”
My dude your post history shits on EVERYTHING. You never have a good thing to say about anything lol! 🤣
“Getting ready for those GaaS reveals! Sony is a shadow of themselves this gen.”
You literally said this a couple of days ago. Start applying the clown make up, you hypocritical jester
NGL, next year might be one of the best years in gaming ... starting off with RE9 and GTA VI ...
and then all the good games that's been cooking
Pragmata, Sands of Time, Saros, Gears E-Day, 007 First Light, Blood of Dawnwalker,
Mortal Shell II, Onimusha, Marvel1943: Rise of Hydra
current-gen only Infinity Ward's CoD, Duskbloods
+ My guess: Wolverine, Exodus, Mudang, Crimson Desert, Clockwork etc ...
~ seems like it might get too stacked
@rokos:”Hopefully “
I downvoted you not for been hopeful but because I have seen the same “NEXT YEAR WILL BE SPECIAL “ comment for the last 10+ and hasn’t seen anything special from Microsoft.
I hope next year will be the one that everyone been waiting for since the last 3 years of the Xbox 360, it have to be after over $80 billions spent on acquisitions.
So the new excuse is they don't count because it's from the ABK now huh. I guess all those 3rd party games count even less because they don't own them. According to your always crappy logic.
I don't know they have delivered this year and even last year. And they have a lot more content in the pipeline right now than anyone else. We can't just keep hating on MS
Indiana Jones
South of midnight
Avowed
Flight simulator
Hell Blade 2
Minecraft update
Gears of war reloaded
Indian Jones:expansion
Gears E day
Clockwork revolution
Fable
Doom the dark ages
The outer worlds 2
Grounded 2
Call of duty
How many of those titles were just buyouts of companies that were going about making their games anyways? *Throws cash - "Oh look what we made!"
This list, that's been posted again, and again, and again in every single topic like this, contains almost nothing, literally almost nothing from Microsoft's own creational thoughtprocess.
It's a bunch of former 3rd party IPs.
Now even slowly returning to Playstation in some cases like Indiana, Hellblade, probably Starfield soon too, after they were made exclusively to Xbox on purpose.
Due to Microsoft's lack for own IP material except Halo & Forza. Which, the lack of, was the sole reason for all of it to happen in the first place anyway. Please don't pretend it wasn't.
And just look at all the games that come from Obsidian alone.
You really think Obsidian wasn't already working on Avowed and South of Midnight even without Microsoft buying Zenimax?
Microsoft delivered nothing but cheques.
@dveio THIS. Lol, this dude thinks Call of Duty wouldn't exist without Microsoft! smh 😂
Common narrative I see often — that Microsoft shouldn’t get credit for the games its studios release because they “just bought them.” But this viewpoint ignores key context and sets a double standard that other platform holders aren’t held to
No one is saying these games wouldn't exist at all without Microsoft. But let’s not pretend that having a trillion-dollar company backing a studio doesn’t make a massive difference. Obsidian never had AAA funding before the Xbox acquisition. Pillars of Eternity was crowdfunded, and their resources were always stretched thin. Now they’re working on Avowed, with proper support behind it.
Ninja Theory’s Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice was made by around 20 people, using borrowed equipment and doing mocap in a boardroom. It was a passion project held together by tape and willpower. Today, Hellblade II exists because they were given resources, time, and freedom — something many developers don’t get unless they’re owned by a company that believes in their vision.
ZeniMax (Bethesda’s parent company) was in real financial trouble before the Microsoft acquisition. Reports and insider accounts have pointed out how much they needed a cash infusion. And while some people want to write off Xbox’s ownership of Bethesda titles, they forget the alternative could have meant layoffs or even closures.
The same goes for Activision Blizzard. Would you really prefer the company to stay under Bobby Kotick, after all the documented workplace misconduct and toxic leadership issues? Say what you want about Microsoft, but their acquisition brought accountability and change to a company that desperately needed it.
At the same time, Xbox gets hated on for doing what every major company does. Sony bought Housemarque, Bluepoint, Insomniac — but no one says Spider-Man 2 “doesn’t count” because of that. Why does Xbox get treated differently for acquiring struggling or undervalued developers and giving them a chance to thrive?
And the idea that Xbox locks games away is outdated. They're pushing cross-platform releases, cloud gaming, Game Pass, and backward compatibility more than any other platform holder. They're not forcing all studios into live service. If anything, their upcoming lineup is less GAAS-heavy and more focused on narrative and creativity — Avowed, South of Midnight, Clockwork Revolution, Fable, Perfect Dark, Towerborne, and others show real variety.
Whether people like it or not, Xbox is now the biggest publisher in the industry and owns the most gaming IPs. But what matters more is how they treat their studios. Most of these teams were previously stuck making AA games with limited scope — now they’re getting the tools and support to aim higher.
So when people say “Microsoft didn’t make those games,” they’re missing the point. It’s not about who started the studio — it’s about who enabled them to do their best work. You don’t have to love Xbox to admit they’ve helped a lot of developers and are taking a player-first approach.
Instead of writing off everything they do, maybe try recognizing the good they’re doing for both devs and gamers. At the end of the day, we should want more studios to succeed — no matter who owns them
I'm surprised Clockwork Revolution (BioShock meets Dishonored) isn't getting more media attention. The game looks interesting and reminds me of the old RPG games.
The only good game on that list is Flight sim. The rest are either average or will be average. It's not a good look for MS.
My god.... Look how many comments are upset about microsoft's successes... 😂 This may be my new favorite thread. Not one gamer saying thanks for all the goodness coming their way, just bitter anger and downvoting the very games they themselves will purchase throughout 2026.... Sony really worked you guys over this generation.... Condolences.
@neutralgamer1992 You said what needed to be said.
I have heard for years from older gamers that fanboys are the biggest issue with any fanbase. They will defend or gloss over negative news as long as the correct logo is on the box and they bash the competing platform no matter how much good they are trying to bring.
Right now their advocacy for PlayStation is elevating that platform so high that Sony no longer believes they need to do anything to satisfy their loyal fanbase like they did in the PS4 days.
I just hope most of them will eventually start advocating for themselves and encourage others to do the same. No one should blindly support one platform because these companies do not care about anything other than profit.
Hunted
And first proper game done by the studio with proper AAA budget and saying it will be released when ready
Anast
I believe we went through this before that you are objectively wrong. Meta critic, user reviews, game sales. In Playstation top 10 best selling games were 5 from Microsoft studios
Otter
No this dude is saying so many other studios wouldn't be thriving without MS money and people would be getting abused physically and mentally with Bobby kotick and his side kicks
Also maybe look up how the original founder of Bethesda and zenimax was kicked out of his own company by his best friend lawyer. So that was always a shady place and had been struggling financially before MS paid a premium of almost 7 billion
Eroica
I use to be a die hard Playstation fan and now I only have a Pc. I see how these fans are so toxic. They just can't handle any positive news regarding Xbox. When the best selling games on playstation are Xbox titles. Look at Forza horizon being best seller and that's years old game by MS. I guess ms don't deserve credit for that success too since they are the only company in gaming making acquisitions
Forget the fact Sony paid 3.6 billion for bungie and MS 6.9 for zenimax. Which investment has turned out better
Destiny and marathon with a lot of controversy
While zenimax output is nothing short of amazing compared to what bungie has released
Yeah it's tricky. "Xbox" has morphed to mean different things to different people.
Console, now Windows, GamePass, and the cross platform games. There's a mix of attitudes towards all those things individually, and maybe an overarching attitude towards MS. But can't argue that the game companies MS recently bought continue to flourish, and GamePass PC has been a great value over the last year.
@OtterX
You're the dude mad at your exes new guy. She's with someone else... get over it.
They've had good output so far. So waiting for those games shouldn't be a problem.
Who cares if they're buy outs of companies or whatever excuse you want to make. They're games that are being distributed to other console. Play the games and enjoy it instead of fanboying or complaining.
They going to be a he best and biggest publisher on Xbox, Playstation and PC next year. They not really said anything about Switch 2 though spite claiming to be big supporters.
It will be, his net work will hit 50 million and he plans to buy a new mansion in Cape Cod. Thanks everyone! #failup
With ASUS seemingly teasing an Xbox handheld last week, there's been a lot of talk about the device in the days ever since, and Xbox boss Phil Spencer has also teased something to do with handhelds happening in 2025
I really hope this isn't a windows based device even though coming from MS that's highly unlikely. SteamDeck is much much easier to use and offers a much better user experience than any other handheld device because it's all based on steam app. The Xbox handheld should be based on that because a Windows device with a 7-8 inch screen makes it's difficult to navigate
When the casual market learn that there’s going to be an Xbox branded Asus handheld they will cancel their Nintendo Switch 2 preorders and get the Asus. No it won’t have exclusive games like Super Mario or Zelda or Metroid or Pilot Wings or Mario Kart or Animal Crossing or Donkey Kong or Pokémon or Super Smash Bros - but who cares as it will have access to the entire library of the Steam Store running on Windows. It will also have access to Game Pass with all the modern day classics like Avowed, Hellblade II and Grounded and Pentiment.
I think we all have to acknowledge that after all the criticism of Switch 2 on ResetEra it’s evidence that it will fail to sell and the Asus will outsell it. Dreamcast pushed Sega out of hardware, we all have to accept that the perfect storm of Switch 2 pricing, an Xbox-branded Asus and Phil Spencer and Aaron Greenberg’s persuasive promotion will likely kill off Switch 2 within a month. AND YOU CAN QUOTE ME ON THAT.
@VenomUK,
I don't think that even has a remote chance of happening, Nintendo has so much brand loyalty, even with the backlash on their not so great pricing, I still think it's going to sell, Xbox doesn't have as much brand loyalty. Plus, if it's just Xbox branded ROG Ally or something similar, why not just choose a ROG ally or Steam Deck? They can both do everything that an Xbox branded handheld can. If Xbox is going to compete in the world of windows based handhelds, it has so much competition, it's going to struggle.
You're way too optimistic about the Xbox handheld and the demise of the Switch 2, I'm going to predict the opposite and say the Switch 2 will demolish the Xbox handheld in terms of sales/popularity.
@S2Killinit Satire. I’m not going to hate on people for being excited for a new console. But what is happening in the Xbox community is something wicked, content creators are hyping up the Asus to their audience about how great this thing is, and how it will be more powerful than the Switch 2 and the Steam Store outweighs any advantage the Switch 2 has with its library of games. I don’t believe they believe it but they are grifting. By all means look forward to it but don’t sell it as a Switch 2 PS5 killer.
Steam Os is amazing. By far the best. Can’t imagine MS having an OS that can top it (CERTAINLY not windows)
Windows as is, isn't a great experience for a handheld, they really need to make a dedicated handheld OS, unfortunately they've always been hellbent on making a single product for both PC/touch screen use.
I really can't imagine them making something that stands up to Steam OS, it just works so well.
This is not their in-house made Xbox handheld for next-gen, which is slated for release in 2027 alongside with the next Xbox console, which might run a version of their usual Xbox-ified OS optimized for the handheld.
This is just a brand collab to produce an Xbox branded updated Asus RoG Ally (Project Kennan), which as usual ships with Windows. Think of it as the 5th main competitor in handheld PC market, after Deck, Legion Go, Ally and MSi Claw (I know others exist, but these are the popular ones).
https://wccftech.com/xbox-h...
And RoG Ally didn't get an update this year like the Legion Go, so this Xbox-Asus one might be that?
Anyways, even with 2025 chip upgrade, the Legion Go underperforms compared to 2023 Ally and 2024 Ally X.
It can't be anything but Windows if it has the Xbox brand on it. Outside of the politics (which would be a showstopper), SteamOS/Linux can't run GamePass natively due to the crazy protections implemented by the Windows Store.
I am not asking the Xbox handheld to run steam, I just wanted a dedicated Xbox app on the handheld that handles everything from playing games, downloading games, gamepass and most importantly all updates are done from that app. Just a better overall user experience
Having to download multiple different things on a Windows based device becomes really a chore in a smaller screen.
Having the windows handheld auto launch the existing Xbox Windows app will accomplish everything you mentioned, and I'm sure that's what this will be.
Fact is that MS will need to add a lot into that app to incorporate all the system level controls Steam incorporated into their handheld UI.
It'll be windows all leaks indicate this is a windows based device with a Xbox skin it will integrate other storefronts because at its core it's windows.
@venom there's is no chance that parents will be buying their kids a rog ally setting up steam and other storefronts over a Nintendo switch 2 at Christmas.
That's a mass amount of hopium there.
Portable PC's in total have barely cracked six million sold the switch 2 will continue to dominate the casual crowd all known about it and news of a switch successor has already started spreading in mainstream media
I think switch 2 will do well but dominate I think we need to wait and see. The prices of the console and games is much more than switch so don't expect parents in this inflation time to spend $600 on 2 games and a console. Since it's Nintendo it should sell but I think we are underpaying the importance of the inflated market
And an even bigger flop in the making, it's like they're just throwing crap at the wall and see what sticks or rather find another ''clever'' way to keep squeezing more money from the already miniscule and gullible fanbase. Smfh.
Squeezing money. Isn't that what sony is doing with tbe ps5pro. And what about all those remakes and locking some ps4 games to a subscription.
At first I thought this was a huge mistake on MS part. But after thinking about this more and more, while I still don’t think it’s going to do anything beyond 10 - 20 million in sales, I think that’s exactly what MS and ASUS are expecting and both are okay with.
I assume this is more of Asus saying to MS, look we have ten/twenty million of these handheld PCs already in production and we’ve only been able to sell a couple millions, partner with us and let’s brand them as Xbox handhelds ASUS will do all the heavy lifting so we don’t take a loss on all these, and all MS has to do is market the platform and put your logo, the new Xbox OS/app you’ve been working on, and together we’ll helps each other out and push more GamePass subscriptions.
That make complete logical sense as to why this came about, because otherwise….. So technically it would be a win:win for both companies, or a win for MS and a reduction of loss of ASUS, even if they only sell 10m - 20m units.
As for the handheld itself honestly, it should be solid and most likely based on the Rog Ally 7, but hopefully with the Rog Ally X case as that has a much better port and I/O layout. Plus if the Xbox OS is wayyyyyyy lighter than Windows then it should be a a good piece of tech getting more performance than the Ally 7 Windows version for around $499.
But that’s where the next problem comes into play…..Price. It’s Switch 2 all over again. The slight different is outside of the potential of DLSS, this should be a slightly more powerful handheld, especially if they create their own dock, but that dock will likely be sold separately meaning now we’re looking at $550 or more, for what will essentially be a docked Xbox Series S and a slightly more powerful SteamDeck / Switch 2 in handheld mode.
Basically what windows os turning into now every few weeks logging on I'm greeted with a hey how about some office 365 or your gamepass lapsed how about renewing and decline is in little blue writing while subscribe is a huge button
So smart of you caveman Phil sphincter. Did you get the memo on what Nintendo is releasing this year?
I dont trust Microsoft to build an OS for this looking at the Windows phone so I think this will be just Windows with a Steam like Big Picture mode locked in the UI to launch games.
This is good advice from Reaper here. I trust your advice and you've got my word...I wont buy it.
Thanks Reaper!
So in other words, it’s just another ROG Ally. I think MS has a winner🤣🤣
I remember when my sister bought a Windows phone, that thing was missing so many basic features, she didn't even own the phone for 3 months before getting frustrated and swapping it out.
I'll be honest I had a older relative that loved the windows phone cause it had a huge dial, contacts and camera button that was all it got used for.
Oh and it was bright green so easy to find
Moral of the story one person's trash is another's treasure
Windows phones weren't the best but I also remember sonys phones didn't fare too well either. As a matter of fact they're newest ones aren't doing so great either. Not even in Japan. That says alot.
@reaper22 honestly Shane about the Sony phones to I brought the Xperia 3 when they announced remote play for it and it was one of the best ones I have had the battery lasted a few days the camera was some obscene 50mp but the physical design lagged behind Samsung and I think that was a huge reason it failed
The VideoGamer Podcast is joined by Xbox creator Seamus Blackley to discuss his storied career across the games industry.
can not stand Ryan McCaffrey he is the biggest Xbot going!!
Great interview, nice to see the interviewer become the interviewee - good job Gamers of the Lost Spark.
No one cares! Iwata's funeral is tomorrow.
Ryan is a first class twat!.