XBOX DEVELOPER DIRECT RECAP

Minecraft Legends

The Xbox & Bethesda Developer Direct got kicked off with a showcase of Minecraft Legends. This showcase focuses largely on the Action-strategy game’s PvP multiplayer modes. The game’s release date was also unveiled, and you’ll be able to get your hands on Minecraft Legends come April 18th.

Forza Motorsport

Next up in the showcase was Forza Motorsport, which promises to be one of the biggest releases in 2023. Unfortunately no more specific release date was set.

This Forza Motorsport promises to be the most technically advanced racing game ever and will be a strictly next-gen experience. It will include over 500 cars and 20 different racing environments, five of them new to the franchise.

Hi-Fi Rush

This stylish rhythm-action game strongly recalls the Jet Set Radio series. Hi-Fi Rush is very much its own thing, however, and features a combat system that rewards players for sticking with the beat of the soundtrack by timing their attacks with the music’s rhythm. It promises to be a unique experience.

And you don’t have to wait to find out, because Hi-Fi Rush released on Xbox Game Pass on 25th January 2023 which was right after this event!

The Elder Scrolls Online: NECROM

This reveal of the new chapter of ESO was expected to be a standalone event, but alas. Anyhow, we got a trailer for this year’s new chapter of the game, which will release on June 20th. NECROM will be set in Eastern Morrowind.

ZeniMax Online Studios also announced that all previous chapters of ESO will be available for free for a limited time, so there has never been a better time to dive into the world of Tamriel than right now.

Redfall

Last but certainly not least we got another look at Arkane Studios’ Redfall. We also finally got a release date: May 2nd. We got a much more indepth look at what to expect from this highly anticipated title and suffice it to say it looks more promising than ever. We’ll be playing Redfall in just a few short months, and at this point there is little doubt it will be worth the wait.

So to summarise, the Developer Direct was packed with announcements for games like Redfall, Minecraft Legends, Forza and The Elder Scrolls Online, and even saw Tango Gameworks rhythm-action game Hi-Fi Rush drop straight into Game Pass. With all of the excitement surrounding the games, though, you might have missed the company’s confirmation that it’s returning to LA this year for a summer showcase.

Xbox summer showcase returns to LA

Last year was extremely quiet for Xbox Game Studios’ first-party games, with the likes of Redfall and Starfield having been delayed into 2023, but that has led to this year looking jam-packed for incredible games coming to Game Pass. Yesterday’s Developer Direct gave us a pretty solid look at the release schedule for numerous games coming during the first half of this year, but as expected, the remainder of the year is currently a mystery.

In an Xbox Wire post covering the Direct show, Microsoft confirmed that it will be returning to Los Angeles this summer for its yearly showcase. Whether the company will be joining the revitalised in-person event of E3 or returning to Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest is undetermined, but you can be sure that we’ll let you know once the details are revealed.

Microsoft’s roster of upcoming games that are yet to be given any proper attention include the likes of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, Avowed, Fable, and Perfect Dark, to name just a few, so with any luck, we’ll get a chance to learn a little more about them then. For those of you looking forward to Bethesda’s space epic, Starfield, the company has confirmed that a standalone showcase is currently “in the works,” so we could see that happen sooner than the summer showcase.