Xbox has teased details about its next Developer Direct in January, after they were missing in action at The Game Awards.
In terms of big announcements, The Game Awards 2025 was dominated by third party studios, between Tomb Raider, Resident Evil Requiem, and an abundance of Star Wars.
Sony did release a new trailer for upcoming PlayStation 5 exclusive Saros, confirming a new release date of April 30, 2026, but there was nothing but silence from camp Microsoft. Outside of a Diablo 4 expansion, the only notable announcement was that Games For Impact winner South Of Midnight is heading to PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2 in spring next year.
According to Microsoft’s president of game content and studios, Matt Booty, there’s a reason for Xbox’s quieter show this year: they’re saving its biggest titles for the Xbox Developer Direct showcase in January.
Speaking in an interview with Variety about the Xbox Developer Direct, Booty confirmed developer Playground Games will be featured in the showcase. They’re currently working on Fable and Forza Horizon 6, so that means one or both will be shown off in January.
‘I can’t share exactly what’s there, but we’ve got a lot of stuff that we’re shipping next year,’ Booty said. ‘In fact, usually Dev Direct is about highlighting what’s coming up for the year ahead. This year, we’ve got more stuff coming up than we can fit in one show.
‘So I will tell you that Playground Games is going to be in the Dev Direct, but we’ll have more stuff next year to ship than we can fit into one Dev Direct show in January, which is a good place to be.’
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Along with Forza Horizon 6 and Fable, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer previously teased Halo: Campaign Evolved and Gears Of War: E-Day would launch in 2026, in celebration of Xbox’s 25th anniversary.
Booty’s comments suggest these might not all appear in the Xbox Developer Direct next month. For a comparison, this year’s show featured South Of Midnight, Doom: The Dark Ages, Ninja Gaiden 4, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, so there’s a chance some third party titles could show up alongside its first party output.
However, the presence of Playground Games confirms we’ll be getting updates on at least one of their games. We’ve not seen anything on Fable since last year’s Xbox Games Showcase and nothing at all on Forza Horizon 6.
South Of Midnight is the latest Xbox exclusive to go multiformat, following the likes of Indiana Jones And The Great Circle, Forza Horizon 5, and the upcoming Halo: Campaign Evolved.
There is no confirmed date for the January Xbox Developer Direct, but last year’s show aired on January 23, so it’ll likely debut around the same time in 2026.
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