At the start of last year, Xbox hosted their first ever Developer Direct, which shined a spotlight on five Xbox titles that ultimately all ended up releasing in 2023: Minecraft Legends, Redfall, Forza Motorsport, The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom and the biggest surprise, Hi-Fi Rush, which was announced and released on the same day as the showcase.
Now, as 2024 gets underway, Microsoft is looking to repeat that formula with its next Developer Direct, which is scheduled to go live on January 18 at 3 PM ET. This showcase will immediately be followed by The Elder Scrolls Online 2024 Global Reveal at 4 PM ET to preview the MMO’s next major chapter. Below are the four announced titles that Xbox will focus on during the Developer Showcase and a brief summary of what to expect from each:
The untitled Indiana Jones game is perhaps the most intriguing of the bunch, as we have heard next to nothing about the upcoming licensed game since it was firstannouncedin early 2021. While their latest title, Wolfenstein: Youngblood, may not have garnered the same critical and fan acclaim as the previous two Wolfenstein games, MachineGames has already proven they are capable of high quality narrative-driven and action-heavy adventures over the past decade, so the first look at their newest project should bring plenty to excite fans of the classic treasure hunter.
Ara: History Untold was first unveiled at the 2022 Xbox & Bethesda Showcase, but little has been shown for the turn-based strategy game since that time. Unlike Oxide Games’ previous title,Ashes of the Singularity, which leaned heavily on sci-fi themes, Ara looks to take a similar approach to Civilization with its historical gameplay, which makes sense since their team is partially composed of former Firaxis Games employees. Although Avowed and Hellblade II have both been shown off as recently as last year, these new deep dives should still provide fresh updates as both titles inch closer to their planned 2024 releases.
Xbox has additionally confirmed that there will not be any Activision Blizzard news at the upcoming showcase, although more from the publisher will be shared later this year. In addition, while there are no hints that another shadow drop will be part of this year’s Developer Direct, recent rumors have swirled around a Switch port for Hi-Fi Rush, so that announcement may also be coming at next week’s show, perhaps once again as a simultaneous unveiling and launch. Whatever happens at the Xbox Developer Direct, be sure to come back to Hardcore Gamer for all the latest Xbox news.
