Nicole Carpenter
is a senior reporter specializing in investigative features about labor issues in the game industry, as well as the business and culture of games.
On Jan. 18, Microsoft will broadcast an Xbox Developer Direct, the company announced last week. MachineGames’ upcoming Indiana Jones game is expected to be highlighted, alongside Obsidian’s Avowed, Oxide Games’ Ara: History Untold, and Ninja Theory’s Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2. No Activision Blizzard titles are expected on the broadcast.
When is the Xbox Developer Direct?
The Xbox Developer Direct will be broadcast at 12 p.m. PST / 3 p.m. EST / 9 p.m. CET on Xbox’s YouTube and Twitch channels. You can watch the livestream, via YouTube, in the embedded video above. After the direct airs, ZeniMax Online Studios will broadcast The Elder Scrolls Online 2024 Global Reveal at 1 p.m. PST / 4 p.m. EST / 10 pm CET.
What games are in the Xbox Developer Direct?
Here’s the slate, straight from Microsoft:
Indiana Jones game: MachineGames, the award-winning studio behind the recent Wolfenstein series, will reveal their upcoming Indiana Jones game, an action-adventure that puts players in the leather jacket of the legendary archaeologist. Developer_Direct will showcase more than 10 minutes of game and developer insights, including details about the game’s setting and story, how fans will actually play as Indy, additional details from his next globe-trotting adventure, and the premiere of the first gameplay trailer.
Avowed: The team at Obsidian will share the first deep dive into the gameplay experience fans can expect in Avowed, their upcoming fantasy action RPG, set in the fantastical, vibrant Living Lands. Learn more about how Obsidian’s expertise in building worlds with deep themes, dynamic gameplay, and thoughtful reactivity come to life in Avowed where players will have agency to make choices to shape every step of their adventure.
Ara: History Untold: Hear from the leads at Oxide Games – a studio founded by veterans of the strategy genre and the creators behind classic strategy titles including Civilization V – as they unveil exclusive new gameplay and share more details about the inspiration, key features, and road ahead for their upcoming historical grand strategy game.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II: Ninja Theory take us behind the scenes at their studio in Cambridge to give us some insight on how they are crafting Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II. The team will speak to the ambition and meticulous care involved in creating Senua’s journey of survival.
It’s unclear whether Microsoft will show off other games during the Developer Direct, beyond the planned The Elder Scrolls Online broadcast that will follow the main event.
Several Microsoft rumors have been swirling of late, like Sea of Thieves — an Xbox console exclusive — potentially coming to PlayStation 5, according to Game Files’ Stephen Totilo. Giant Bomb’s Jeff Grubb also said he’s heard of Sea of Thieves coming to PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch, alongside other Xbox exclusives. However, it seems unlikely that those reported releases would be announced during the Jan. 18 Developer Direct.
Source: Polygon
