Xbox Developer Direct

Last updated

Xbox Developer_Direct
Xbox Developer Direct logo.png
Logo since 2024
StatusActive
GenreVideo game livestream event
FrequencyAnnually
Years active2023–present
InauguratedJanuary 25, 2023 (2023-01-25)
Most recentJanuary 23, 2025 (2025-01-23)
Organised by Microsoft Gaming

Xbox Developer Direct (stylized as Developer_Direct) is a series of livestream events produced by Microsoft Gaming to showcase upcoming first-party content from Xbox Game Studios, Bethesda Softworks, Activision, Blizzard Entertainment, and King. [1] The livestreams also include third-party titles. [2] The Developer Direct usually takes place at the beginning of each year in January. [3]

Contents

History

Xbox Developer Direct was founded as part of Microsoft's ongoing efforts to enhance communication and engagement with gamers worldwide. [4] Prior to Devolder Direct, some critics argued that Xbox needed to have a showcase to establish "brand identity" and differentiate themselves from other competitors. Additionally, there were suggestions that Xbox should be more transparent regarding the development of their video games. [5]

The first showcase was announced on January 11, 2023, and took place on January 25, 2023. Developer Direct has evolved and expanded. Initially focusing on presentations from Xbox Game Studios and Bethesda Softworks, in 2024 the event series has grown to encompass a broader range of developers and publishers, including third-party titles. [5] [6]

Format

Each Xbox Developer Direct event typically features a combination of announcements, trailers, gameplay reveals, and developer interviews. These presentations offer audiences a look into upcoming games, downloadable content (DLC), expansion packs, updates, and other relevant developments. [7] The format allows developers to showcase their games directly to fans and consumers and announce brand-new video game content. [8] [9]

List of events

Alongside the Xbox Developer Direct livestreams, other Xbox events without the "Xbox Developer Direct" branding are listed. These include various Xbox showcases that have continued following the establishment of Developer Direct format in 2023.

Xbox Developer Direct

NameDateDurationGames featuredRef.
Developer_DirectJanuary 25, 202344 minutes Minecraft Legends , Forza Motorsport , Hi-Fi Rush , The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom , Redfall [10] [11]
Developer_Direct 2024January 18, 202448 minutes and 42 seconds Avowed , Senua's Saga: Hellblade II , Visions of Mana , Ara: History Untold , Indiana Jones and the Great Circle [6] [12]
Developer_Direct 2025January 23, 202552 minutes and 29 seconds Ninja Gaiden 4 , Ninja Gaiden 2 Black , South of Midnight , Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 , Doom: The Dark Ages [13] [14]

Xbox Games Showcase

NameDateDurationGames featuredRef.
Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase E3 2021June 13, 20212 hours, 15 minutes Starfield, Halo Infinite , Forza Horizon 5 , Redfall , Diablo II: Resurrected , S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl , Back 4 Blood , Battlefield 2042 , Contraband, The Outer Worlds 2 , Sea of Thieves: A Pirate's Life, Grounded, Yakuza series, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes , Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising , Twelve Minutes , Psychonauts 2 , Microsoft Flight Simulator, Age of Empires IV , Doom Eternal , Fallout 76 , The Elder Scrolls Online , Party Animals, Hades, Somerville, A Plague Tale: Requiem , Far Cry 6 , Slime Rancher 2 , Atomic Heart , Shredders, Replaced, Among Us, The Ascent [15] [16]
Xbox & Bethesda Games ShowcaseJune 12, 20221 hour, 35 minutes and 18 seconds Redfall , Hollow Knight: Silksong , High on Life, A Plague Tale: Requiem , Forza Motorsport, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Overwatch 2 , Ara: History Untold , The Elder Scrolls Online - High Isle , Fallout 76 , Forza Horizon 5 , Ark 2, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn , Minecraft Legends , Lightyear Frontier , Gunfire Reborn , The Last Case of Benedict Fox , League of Legends , League of Legends: Wild Rift , Valorant , As Dusk Falls , Naraka: Bladepoint , Pentiment, Grounded, Ereban: Shadow Legacy , Diablo IV , Sea of Thieves , Ravenlok , Cocoon, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty , Persona 3 Portable , Persona 4 Golden , Persona 5 Royal , OD, Starfield [17] [18]
Xbox Games Showcase + Starfield DirectJune 11, 20231 hour, 52 minutes, and 18 seconds Fable, South of Midnight, Star Wars: Outlaws, 33 Immortals, Payday 3, Persona 3 Reload, Avowed, Sea of Thieves, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2, Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Fallout 76, Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, Forza Motorsport, The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom, Overwatch 2, Persona 5 Tactica, Starfield, Jusant, Still Wakes The Deep, Dungeons of Hinterberg, Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty, Cities: Skylines II, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Towerborne, Clockwork Revolution [19] [20]
Xbox Games Showcase + Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 DirectJune 9, 20241 hour, 47 minutes, and 7 seconds Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Doom: The Dark Ages, State of Decay 3, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Starfield: Shattered Space, Fallout 76, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, South of Midnight, World of Warcraft: The War Within, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, Sea of Thieves, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn, Age of Mythology: Retold, Perfect Dark, Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred, Fable, Fragpunk, Winter Burrow, Mixtape, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road, Life is Strange: Double Exposure, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Mechabreak, Avowed, Atomfall, Assassin's Creed Shadows, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, Gears of War: E-Day [21] [22]

Xbox Partner Preview

NameDateDurationGames featuredRef.
Xbox Partner PreviewOctober 25, 202328 minutes and 51 seconds Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, Alan Wake 2, Ark: Survival Ascended, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Still Wakes the Deep, Manor Lords, IKARO: Will Not Die, Spirit of the North 2, RoboCop: Rogue City, Dungeons of Hinterberg, The Finals [23] [24]
Xbox Partner PreviewMarch 6, 202429 minutes and 31 secondsUnknown 9: Awakening, Sleight of Hand, The Alters, Creatures of Ava, Roblox, The Sinking City 2, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Legends of the Zone Trilogy, Monster Jam Showdown, Persona 3 Reload, The First Berserker: Khazan, Tales of Kenzera: Zau, Frostpunk 2, Final Fantasy XIV Online, Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess [25] [26]
Xbox Partner PreviewOctober 17, 202428 minutes and 43 seconds Alan Wake 2 - The Lake House , Cronos: The New Dawn, Blindfire, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii , Mouse: P.I. For Hire Subnautica 2 , Animal Well, Edens Zero, Eternal Strands, Mistfall Hunter, Wheel World, Phasmophobia, The Legend Of Baboo, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, FBC: Firebreak [27] [28]

Xbox Tokyo Game Show

NameDateDurationGames featuredRef.
Xbox Showcase - Tokyo Game Show 2021September 30, 202150 minutes and 54 seconds Scarlet Nexus , AI: The Somnium Files , Mighty Goose , Back 4 Blood , Forza Horizon 5 , Halo Infinite , Ghostwire: Tokyo , Redfall , Starfield, The Good Life, Eternal Return [29] [30]
Xbox Tokyo Game Show 2022September 15, 202239 minutes and 39 seconds Persona 5 Royal , Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty , Exoprimal , BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle - Special Edition, Guilty Gear Strive , Naraka: Bladepoint , Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered, Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony , Overwatch 2 , Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes , Dyson Sphere Program Forza Horizon 5 , Palworld , Assassin's Creed Odyssey , Fuga: Melodies of Steel , Fuga: Melodies of Steel 2 , Deathloop [31] [32]
Xbox Tokyo Game Show 2023September 21, 202341 minutes and 4 seconds Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy , Forza Motorsport, Mineko's Night Market , Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name , Like a Dragon: Ishin! , Persona 5 Tactica , Persona 3 Reload , Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes , Octopath Traveler II , Fallout 76 , The Elder Scrolls Online , Altheia: The Wrath of Aferi, Exoprimal , Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai . My Lovely Express, Palworld , Party Animals, PUBG: Battlegrounds , Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty [33] [34]
Xbox Tokyo Game Show 2024September 26, 202451 minutes and 11 seconds Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater , StarCraft: Remastered , StarCraft II , Overwatch 2 , Age of Mythology: Retold - Immortal Pillars, Tanuki Pon's Summer, Threads of Time, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle , We Love Katamari ReROLL + Royal Reverie, Metaphor: ReFantazio , FragPunk, Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & The Envisioned Land, Asurajang Rumble, Fallout 76 , Synduality: Echo of Ada , Bleach: Rebirth of Souls, Suikoden I & II HD Remaster: Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars , All You Need is Help, The Starbites: Taste of Desert, Slitterhead , Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake , Legend of Mana , Trials of Mana, Final Fantasy I-VI Pixel Remaster [35] [36]

See also

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References

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  2. ↑ Pureza, Gabriel Machado (January 18, 2024). "Square Enix Makes Surprise Appearance at Xbox Developer Direct". Game Rant . Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  3. ↑ Bošnjak, Dominik (January 6, 2024). "Rumor: Xbox Developer Direct Possibly Happening This Month". Game Rant . Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  4. ↑ "Xbox's Developer_Direct is their most important showcase ever". Digital Trends. January 12, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  5. 1 2 Zachary Boddy (January 18, 2024). "Square Enix steals the spotlight with Visions of Mana at the Xbox Developer_Direct 2024". Windows Central. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  6. 1 2 Plant, Logan (January 18, 2024). "Xbox Developer Direct 2024: Everything Announced". IGN . Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  7. ↑ updated, Jez Corden last (January 12, 2023). "Why Microsoft's Developer_Direct is the perfect modern show format Xbox needs". Windows Central. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  8. ↑ Xbox, Pure (January 19, 2024). "Reaction: Xbox Developer Direct 2024 Proved That Microsoft's New Format Really Works". Pure Xbox. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  9. ↑ updated, Sam LoveridgeContributions from Rollin Bishop last (January 18, 2024). "Everything announced at the Xbox Developer Direct 2024". GamesRadar+ . Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  10. ↑ "Everything announced at Xbox and Bethesda Developer Direct". Eurogamer.net. January 25, 2023. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
  11. ↑ Developer_Direct, presented by Xbox & Bethesda . Retrieved April 3, 2024– via YouTube.
  12. ↑ Developer_Direct 2024 . Retrieved April 3, 2024– via YouTube.
  13. ↑ Warren, Tom (January 9, 2025). "Microsoft's Xbox Developer Direct returns on January 23rd with a "brand new game"". The Verge . Retrieved January 9, 2025.
  14. ↑ Bankhurst, Adam (January 23, 2025). "Xbox Developer Direct 2025: Everything Announced". IGN. Retrieved January 24, 2025.
  15. ↑ Bankhurst, Adam (June 13, 2021). "Xbox and Bethesda E3 2021 Showcase: Everything Announced". IGN. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  16. ↑ Parkin, Jeffrey (June 13, 2021). "Xbox and Bethesda at E3 2021: The 20 biggest announcements (and a mini fridge)". Polygon . Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  17. ↑ Lee, Kevin (June 12, 2022). "Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase 2022: Everything Announced and Revealed". IGN . Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  18. ↑ Xbox (June 12, 2022). Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase 2022 . Retrieved August 25, 2024– via YouTube.
  19. ↑ "Stardew Valley 1.6 Now In Final Stages, Release Date Set For 2024". Gamepur. January 26, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  20. ↑ [4K] Xbox Games Showcase + Starfield Direct . Retrieved April 8, 2024– via YouTube.
  21. ↑ Sanchay Saksena (May 23, 2024). "Xbox Games Showcase 2024 Roster Seemingly Revealed by Industry Insider". IGN India. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  22. ↑ Xbox (June 9, 2024). [4K] Xbox Games Showcase Followed by Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Direct . Retrieved June 9, 2024– via YouTube.
  23. ↑ Xbox Partner Preview | October 2023 . Retrieved April 8, 2024– via www.youtube.com.
  24. ↑ Zachary Boddy (October 25, 2023). "Xbox Partner Preview 2023: Every trailer, reveal, and Game Pass addition from the show". Windows Central. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  25. ↑ Xbox Partner Preview | March 2024 . Retrieved April 8, 2024– via www.youtube.com.
  26. ↑ Zachary Boddy (March 6, 2024). "Xbox Partner Preview (March 2024): All the gameplay trailers, new reveals, and Xbox Game Pass additions you need to see". Windows Central. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  27. ↑ Xbox (October 17, 2024). [4K] Xbox Partner Preview | October 2024 . Retrieved October 18, 2024– via YouTube.
  28. ↑ IGN Staff (October 17, 2024). "Xbox Partner Preview October 2024: Everything Announced at the Showcase". IGN . Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  29. ↑ Feit, Diamond (September 30, 2021). "Xbox Showcase at Tokyo Game Show 2021: The Biggest Announcements and Reveals". IGN . Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  30. ↑ Xbox, Pure (September 30, 2021). "Roundup: Here's Everything That Was Revealed During Xbox's Tokyo Game Show 2021 Stream". Pure Xbox. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  31. ↑ Young, Jennifer (September 15, 2022). "Xbox Tokyo Game Show 2022: Here's everything that was announced". Windows Central. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  32. ↑ "Tokyo Game Show Xbox Stream 2022: News and Updates on 22 Games from majority Japanese developers, STOUTLAND coming to Xbox Next Week, and much more!". Microsoft. September 15, 2022. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  33. ↑ Xbox (September 21, 2023). Xbox Tokyo Game Show 2023 Digital Broadcast . Retrieved October 5, 2024– via YouTube.
  34. ↑ Wood, Anthony (September 21, 2023). "Every Game Pass Title From Today's Xbox Tokyo Game Show 2023 Broadcast". IGN . Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  35. ↑ Xbox (September 26, 2024). Xbox Tokyo Game Show 2024 Broadcast . Retrieved October 5, 2024– via YouTube.
  36. ↑ "Xbox Tokyo Game Show 2024: All The Biggest Announcements". GameSpot . Retrieved October 5, 2024.
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