It seems that Xbox is set to hold its next Developer Showcase in late January. The showcase is reportedly set to detail Xbox’s 2023 plans, and is said to include games like RedFall, Forza Motorsport and Minecraft Legends.
Reports of the showcase come via Jez Corden at Windows Central, whose sources tell them that the showcase will be an ‘intimate’ look at Xbox’s forthcoming release slate. Those same sources indicate that Xbox is calling the show a Developer Direct (stylised as Developer_Direct, complete with an underscore, just to really muck up searchability on Google). Cheeky to use the word Direct in this context, but the popular Nintendo Direct (as in direct-to-consumer) format has become the online shorthand for this kind of showcase. PlayStation’s quarterly State of Play broadcasts are jokingly referred to as PlayStation Directs online, so why would Xbox be any different? Might as well make it official.
Windows Central’s sources have been pretty reliable in the past and we have no reason to doubt them on this. Xbox’s previous quarterly showcases have been fan events or activations that were being livestreamed rather than the clear and concise messaging of the Nintendo Direct format. Considering how successful the format has been for its most direct competitors, it would make sense for Xbox to finally get on board.
The date for the showcase has reportedly been set for 12 PM PT on January 25th in the US (that’s 7 AM AEDT on January 26th for us here in Aus). For those hoping to see more of Starfield, Bethesda’s upcoming sci-fi RPG, don’t hold your breath. There’s suggestions that Starfield might skip this particular showcase in favour of a larger, dedicated marketing drop later in the year.
If the Developer Direct pans out, it hopefully predicts a change in the winds for Xbox’s release schedule moving forward. Though Game Pass continued to rack up wins in 2022, Xbox’s roster of exclusives was fairly light-on, with smaller titles like A Plague Tale: Innocence, Pentiment, and Somerville shouldering that burden.
We’ll update this piece with official details when and if Xbox announces a Developer Direct showcase.
Leave a Reply