10 January 2024 , 19:00
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Microsoft has confirmed its first showcase of the year, with the Xbox Developer Direct lifting the lid on Indiana Jones, Hellblade 2, and Avowed.
The start of the year is typically pretty quiet as far as gaming news goes – if you ignore Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Tekken 8, and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown launching over the next few weeks. Thankfully Microsoft is the first to shake things up as it has announced the first Xbox Games Showcase of the year, in the form of the Xbox Developer Direct, and The Elder Scrolls Online 2024 Global Reveal.
We've been promised info on Bethesda's untitled Indiana Jones game, Avowed, Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 and Ara: History Untold, with a few surprises undoubtedly on the way too. We could even see the rumoured multiplatform release of Hi-Fi Rush hitting during the show.
Xbox Developer Direct: start time
The Xbox Developer Direct start time is set for 8pm GMT/ 3pm EST / 12pm PST on Thursday, January 18 and will run for approximately one hour. After the conclusion of the event, The Elder Scrolls Online 2024 Global Reveal will kick off directly after the Xbox Developer Direct concludes.
Xbox Developer Direct: how to watch
You'll be able to watch the Xbox Developer Direct in all of the usual places, with each being streamed simultaneously, so just pick your platform of choice:
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- Xbox on YouTube
- Xbox on Twitch
We'll embed the stream here closer to the time to make things even more convenient for you.
Xbox Developer Direct: what to expect
While Microsoft undoubtedly has some surprises up its sleeves, we know a lot of what we'll be seeing during the Xbox Developer Direct already.
The biggest game we'll be seeing during the Xbox Developer Direct is the brand new Indiana Jones title coming from Swedish developer MachineGames who is responsible for the excellent Wolfenstein reboot. You do no shortage of Nazi killing during the Wolfenstein games, so the studio feels like an ideal fit for Indiana Jones; not to mention Todd Howard, director of Fallout and The Elder Scrolls series, is an executive producer on the game.
Microsoft has confirmed we'll see over 10 minutes of game and developer updates, as well as the first look at gameplay. MachineGames is typically a first-person developer, but speculation has been rampant around whether Indiana Jones will be first or third-person since it was first announced by Bethesda on Twitter back in 2021, so we'll finally know next week.
We'll also see more of Avowed, which is Obsidian Entertainment's take on the fantasy RPG genre, in the vein of The Elder Scrolls. Meanwhile, Ninja Theory will be showing off some more of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2. and we'll have a look at Ara: History Untold from Oxide Games – which is home to developers who worked on classic strategy titles like Civilization, and Command and Conquer.
But of course, there's always a chance of a surprise. Last year's Xbox Developer Direct featured the reveal and release of Hi-Fi Rush, which proved to be the most beloved Xbox release of last year. So eyes are on Microsoft to pull something similar this year. The prevailing rumour is that it will be Double Fine Productions releasing a surprise this year, in the form of the multiplayer brawler Kiln, which was originally a part of the company's Amnesia Fortnite game jam back in 2017.