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The Expansion Pass — Leisure
The Expansion Pass

Welcome to The Expansion Pass (XP) — your place for clear, thoughtful discussions on gaming without the console-war noise.

Hosted by Luke Lohr (InsipidGhost) and Captain Logun, XP covers the biggest stories in gaming across Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, PC, and Game Pass through weekly news analysis, in-depth reviews, and long-form developer interviews.

Formerly Xbox Expansion Pass, the show has evolved into a multiplatform gaming podcast while staying rooted in the strategy, ecosystem, and conversations that built it.

With 150+ interviews featuring developers, journalists, and studio leads — from AAA to indie — XP offers a grounded perspective on how games are made, why decisions happen, and where the industry is headed. Guests include creators from Xbox Game Studios, Bethesda, Ubisoft, Respawn, id Software, Ninja Theory, Blizzard, Asobo, Remedy, and more.

What You’ll Hear on XP

• Weekly gaming and industry news
• Hands-on previews and spoiler-free reviews
• Interviews with developers, journalists, and industry veterans
• Coverage of Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, PC, and Game Pass
• Honest analysis grounded in experience and respect for players

Why Listeners Come to XP

• Clear takes
• No console-war noise
• Insightful, professional coverage
• A welcoming gaming community
• Industry-level conversations made accessible

Whether you’re here for gaming news, developer insight, or thoughtful commentary on a changing industry, The Expansion Pass (XP) delivers high-quality coverage every week.

Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podbean, Pandora, SiriusXM, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, and more.

Subscribe and join the XP community — and enjoy gaming discussions built on clarity, passion, and respect.

Copyright: © Copyright 2019 All rights reserved.

Latest Episodes:

Xbox Expansion Pass 158: Xbox To Make Game Pass Cheaper | 103 Million Watch Game Awards Dec 19, 2022

Show notes

#Xbox #TheGameAwards #XboxGamePass

In episode 158 we welcome Todd Oxtra of Secret Friends Unite on to discuss the possibility of Xbox introducing a cheaper, cloud only option of Game Pass. The Game Awards hit record numbers in terms of audience and High On Life is charting incredibly well. Enjoy.

The Xbox Expansion Pass (XEP) is a podcast dedicated to interpreting the goings on in the world of video games and analyzing how they impact the Xbox ecosystem. Luke Lohr, the InsipidGhost, plays host and discusses various topics throughout the industry. The guests on the show are meant to help gamers expand their knowledge of the gaming industry.

Hive: InsipidGhost

Instagram: InsipidGhost

Twitter: InsipidGhost

Contact: InsipidGhost@gmail.com

Please consider leaving a review on iTunes or Spotify. It is the best way to support the show. Thank you!

0:00 Intro

0:29 Welcome

1:01 Words of Kindness

9:30 Record Game Award Numbers

15:15 Game Pass 2022

20:40 Game Pass 2023

26:40 Cloud Based Gaming

31:59 High On Life

37:30 New Tomb Raider

41:11 Holiday Gaming

48:22 Outro

Xbox Expansion Pass 157: Xbox No Shows The Game Awards | Interview: Ukrainian Developer Frogwares Dec 11, 2022

Show notes

#Xbox #TheGameAwards #Frogwares

In episode 157 of the Xbox Expansion Pass we’ll discuss the no show by Xbox at The Game Awards and just what that means for 2023. We ask the question whether or not Xbox has failed in 2022, note that Xbox is raising prices in 2023, and examine news of the FTC's lawsuit to stop the Activision Blizzard merger. After that we welcome Ukrainian Developer Antonina Melnykova to the show, a Narrative Lead at Frogwares working on the Sherlock Holmes series. She’ll discuss the difficulties of making a game in wartime while dealing with attacks, blackouts, and how to stay focused on game creation. Enjoy!

The Xbox Expansion Pass (XEP) is a podcast dedicated to interpreting the goings on in the world of video games and analyzing how they impact the Xbox ecosystem. Luke Lohr, the InsipidGhost, plays host and discusses various topics throughout the industry. The guests on the show are meant to help gamers expand their knowledge of the gaming industry.

Twitter: InsipidGhost

Contact: InsipidGhost@gmail.com

Please consider leaving a review on iTunes or Spotify. It is the best way to support the show. Thank you!

0:00 Intro

1:11 Grant Wahl

4:41 Xbox Offers 10 Year Deals

10:20 Xbox A Now Show At The Game Awards

15:06 Xbox In 2023

21:19 TGA Highlights

29:25 Marketing At The Game Awards

35:22 Holiday Games

39:00 Making Games In Wartime - Frogwares

42:42 Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened

46:30 Rewriting

51:30 Fan Reception

57:00 Surrounding Sherlock

1:00:42 Supporting Frogwares

1:03:00 Outro

Xbox Expansion Pass 156: Disappointing Reviews | Interview: Atari 50 Celebration (Digital Eclipse) Dec 04, 2022

Show notes

#Xbox #DigitalEclipse #Atari50Celebration

In episode 156 of the Xbox Expansion Pass we welcome two developers from Digital Eclipse, Stephen Frost and Jeremy Williams on to discuss their latest work in retro wizardry, the Atari 50 Celebration. Prior to that we’ll briefly discuss some Black Friday sales and the Game Awards value. Enjoy!

The Xbox Expansion Pass (XEP) is a podcast dedicated to interpreting the goings on in the world of video games and analyzing how they impact the Xbox ecosystem. Luke Lohr, the InsipidGhost, plays host and discusses various topics throughout the industry. The guests on the show are meant to help gamers expand their knowledge of the gaming industry.

Twitter: InsipidGhost

Contact: InsipidGhost@gmail.com

Please consider leaving a review on iTunes or Spotify. It is the best way to support the show. Thank you!

0:00 Intro

0:27 Welcome

2:40 Black Friday UK Sales

5:13 Callisto Protocol & Midnight Suns Disappoint

8:54 Game Awards > Trailers

14:19 Atari 50 Interview

19:20 An Interactive Documentary

24:40 Teaching Legacy

30:00 90's Kids & Atari

34:00 Unedited Atari Interviews

39:00 Game Modes

43:50 Testing & Controls

49:45 VCTR-SCTR

52:54 Lessons Learned

1:00:52 All In 2022

1:04:20 Retro Resurgence

1:10:20 Atari 50 Updates

Xbox Expansion Pass 155 : The Best Xbox Era: Xbox 360 or Xbox Series | Activision Blizzard Continues Nov 27, 2022

Show notes

#Xbox #Xbox360 #ActivisionBlizzard

In episode 155 of the Xbox Expansion Pass we welcome two friends to the show with PTKBL4M of The Shop Podcast and David Whitaker of Level1Gaming joining us to discuss our best memories of the Xbox 360, Callisto Protocol offering death animations in a season pass, and even MORE controversy in the Activision Blizzard acquisition. Enjoy!

The Xbox Expansion Pass (XEP) is a podcast dedicated to interpreting the goings on in the world of video games and analyzing how they impact the Xbox ecosystem. Luke Lohr, the InsipidGhost, plays host and discusses various topics throughout the industry. The guests on the show are meant to help gamers expand their knowledge of the gaming industry.

Twitter: InsipidGhost

Contact: InsipidGhost@gmail.com

Please consider leaving a review on iTunes or Spotify. It is the best way to support the show. Thank you!

0:00 Intro

0:36 Welcome

1:19 Words of Kindness

5:56 Hive Social In Gaming

10:45 Xbox 360 Memories

21:18 Bring One Game Back

26:13 The Best Xbox Era

36:19 Activision Blizzard Controversy

44:00 Day One Game Pass vs Exclusivity

55:00 Sonic Games

1:09:57 Diversity Xbox vs Nintendo

1:18:26 Outro

Xbox Expansion Pass 154: Are The Game Awards Broken? | Black Friday Sales | Series S Sweetspot Nov 20, 2022

Show notes

#Xbox #TheGameAwards #XboxSeriesS

In episode 154 of the Xbox Expansion Pass we celebrate 20 years of Xbox Live, check out some sweet Black Friday deals including the perfect sale price for the Xbox Series S and discuss the problematic timelines for The Game Awards. Enjoy!

The Xbox Expansion Pass (XEP) is a podcast dedicated to interpreting the goings on in the world of video games and analyzing how they impact the Xbox ecosystem. Luke Lohr, the InsipidGhost, plays host and discusses various topics throughout the industry. The guests on the show are meant to help gamers expand their knowledge of the gaming industry.

Twitter: InsipidGhost

Contact: InsipidGhost@gmail.com

Please consider leaving a review on iTunes or Spotify. It is the best way to support the show. Thank you!

0:00 Intro

0:46 Welcome

1:14 Words of Kindness

2:23 Xbox Live Anniversary

5:06 Black Friday Sales

13:20 The Game Awards

22:25 Volition to Gearbox

24:46 Xbox 2023

28:48 Closing

Xbox Expansion Pass 153: Gears of War & Netflix | Interview: Colin Moriarty of Lillymo Games Nov 13, 2022

Show notes

#Xbox #GearsOfWar #LillymoGames

In episode 153 of the Xbox Expansion Pass we are joined by the co-founder and creative lead for Lillymo games, Colin Moriarty to discuss art styles, the writing process, and how publishing on multiple platforms gleans insight into the difference between Xbox, Playstation, and Nintendo. Gears of War is getting the film treatment from Netflix and Halo’s Winter Update impresses. Enjoy!

The Xbox Expansion Pass (XEP) is a podcast dedicated to interpreting the goings on in the world of video games and analyzing how they impact the Xbox ecosystem. Luke Lohr, the InsipidGhost, plays host and discusses various topics throughout the industry. The guests on the show are meant to help gamers expand their knowledge of the gaming industry.

Twitter: InsipidGhost

Contact: InsipidGhost@gmail.com

Please consider leaving a review on iTunes or Spotify. It is the best way to support the show. Thank you!

0:00

0:49 Welcome

1:25 Words of Kindness

3:33 Control 2

6:13 Battlefield 2042 Update

7:23 Halo Infinite Winter Update

12:46 Xbox & God of War

18:00 Somerville Hype

19:06 Kevin Conroy Memories

23:11 Grandma Games

26:55 Welcome Colin Moriarty

30:47 Updating Games

38:49 Pixel Art is More Expensive

42:49 Scope In Games

51:38 Difficulty In Games

55:27 Schmup Stories

1:01:08 Games Cost Money

1:07:33 Denied for Game Pass

1:15:18 Platform Curation

1:21:21 Problems With Subscriptions

1:26:15 Next for Lillymo

Xbox Expansion Pass 152: Eidos Montreal Working On Fable | Diablo 4 Release Date | Xbox In 2023 Nov 06, 2022

Show notes

#Xbox #Fable #Diablo4

In episode 152 of the Xbox Expansion Pass we examine the mountain of news from the past two weeks including Xbox potentially raising their prices, Diablo 4’s reported release date, Modern Warfare’s quality, Eidos Montreal working on Fable, and several Xbox milestones of late. Enjoy!

The Xbox Expansion Pass (XEP) is a podcast dedicated to interpreting the goings on in the world of video games and analyzing how they impact the Xbox ecosystem. Luke Lohr, the InsipidGhost, plays host and discusses various topics throughout the industry. The guests on the show are meant to help gamers expand their knowledge of the gaming industry.

Twitter: InsipidGhost

Contact: InsipidGhost@gmail.com

Please consider leaving a review on iTunes or Spotify. It is the best way to support the show. Thank you!

0:00 Introduction

0:48 Welcome

1:20 Words of Kindness

5:15 Raising Xbox Prices

11:15 Call of Duty Stays on Playstation

15:00 Witcher Remake

18:35 Eidos Montreal Working on Fable

23:09 Ghostbusters Impressions

26:03 Modern Warfare 2 Impressions

28:03 Xbox VR

Xbox Expansion Pass 151: Guest Victor Lucas | Silent Hill & Resident Evil Showcases | Gotham Knights Oct 23, 2022

Show notes

#Xbox #VictorLucas #SilentHill

In episode 151 of the Xbox Expansion Pass we welcome the legendary Victor Lucas to the show to chat about the week’s news including the Silent Hill and Resident Evil showcases which gave horror fans plenty cause for celebration. Meanwhile the releases of Gotham Knights, A Plague Tale Requiem, and Modern Warfare’s campaign have us all lamenting our backlogs. Enjoy!

The Xbox Expansion Pass (XEP) is a podcast dedicated to interpreting the goings on in the world of video games and analyzing how they impact the Xbox ecosystem. Luke Lohr, the InsipidGhost, plays host and discusses various topics throughout the industry. The guests on the show are meant to help gamers expand their knowledge of the gaming industry.

Twitter: InsipidGhost

Contact: InsipidGhost@gmail.com

Please consider leaving a review on iTunes or Spotify. It is the best way to support the show. Thank you!

0:00 Intro

1:13 Words of Kindness

6:15 Television & Gaming

12:54 Youtube & Gaming

18:18 Silent Hill Returns

26:00 Exclusives Hurt Gaming

33:30 Konami Surviving

38:30 Resident Evil Showcase

47:27 Gotham Knights Impressions

58:59 Super Hero Licenses

Xbox Expansion Pass 150: Game Pass Revenue | Gotham Knights 30 FPS | Interview: Layers of Fears Oct 16, 2022

Show notes

#Xbox #GothamKnights #LayersOfFears

In episode 150 of the Xbox Expansion Pass we welcome the creative director for Layers of Fears Damian Kocurek on from Anshar Studios to discuss bringing fear to gaming, an interview just in time for Spooky Season. Gotham Knights is locked at 30 frames on consoles and Xbox is bringing Cloud gaming to the Meta Quest Store. It’s a celebratory episode for 150 . Enjoy!

The Xbox Expansion Pass (XEP) is a podcast dedicated to interpreting the goings on in the world of video games and analyzing how they impact the Xbox ecosystem. Luke Lohr, the InsipidGhost, plays host and discusses various topics throughout the industry. The guests on the show are meant to help gamers expand their knowledge of the gaming industry.

Twitter: InsipidGhost

Contact: InsipidGhost@gmail.com

Please consider leaving a review on iTunes or Spotify. It is the best way to support the show. Thank you!

0:00 Intro

0:46 Welcome

1:29 Words of Kindness

10:24 XEP Goals

11:30 Contest Winners

12:49 Xbox Meta Quest

18:06 Game Pass Revenue

23:16 Gotham Knights 30fps

27:48 Listener Mail

44:45 Damian Kocurek

51:05 Preparing for Layers of Fears

56:10 Unreal Engine 5

59:50 Creating Horror

1:04:50 Watching Let's Plays

1:08:30 Pressure

1:12:36 Layers of Fears VR

1:17:36 Closing

Xbox Expansion Pass 149: CD Projekt Red Roadmap | Interview: Mike Chapman of Rare Oct 09, 2022

Show notes

#Xbox #CDProjektRed #MikeChapman

In episode 149 of the Xbox Expansion Pass we welcome Mike Chapman from Rare to discuss his role as Creative Director for Sea of Thieves and just how the game has evolved since launch…plus a few teases for the future. Prior to that we’ll discuss roadmap laid out for future content out of CD Projekt Red for the Witcher and Cyberpunk franchises. Enjoy!

The Xbox Expansion Pass (XEP) is a podcast dedicated to interpreting the goings on in the world of video games and analyzing how they impact the Xbox ecosystem. Luke Lohr, the InsipidGhost, plays host and discusses various topics throughout the industry. The guests on the show are meant to help gamers expand their knowledge of the gaming industry.

Twitter: InsipidGhost

Contact: InsipidGhost@gmail.com

Please consider leaving a review on iTunes or Spotify. It is the best way to support the show. Thank you!

0:00 Intro

0:26 Welcome

1:26 Words of Kindness

4:12 CD Projekt Red

6:24 Cyberpunk 2077 Review

9:38 CDPR Roadmap

14:40 Good or Bad Leaks

18:11 Gotham Knights

20:06 Metacritic 70s

24:13 Favorite Moments

29:45 Halloween Games

34:10 Introducing Mike Chapman

37:00 Rare's Superpower

43:40 Launching A Live Service

48:30 Keeping the Team Healthy

52:00 Setting a Good Example

55:41 Is Rare Unique With Community

1:00:25 Planning Room Features

1:02:00 Sea of Thieves Documentary

1:05:00 How Many Teams

1:09:50 What Makes A World Event?

1:13:25 Flameheart Returns and Villains

1:17:56 PvP vs PvE

1:22:13 Time Gated Content

1:27:15 Crossovers

1:30:00 Community Day Lessons

1:33:00 Game Pass Impacts

1:36:30 Sales Figures Incoming

1:39:45 Cloud Gaming & Sea of Thieves

1:41:35 Grand Maritime Union

1:44:30 Closing

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