Xbox fans looking forward to the imminent Developer Direct may be disappointed to learn a newly revealed detail about the show.
Highlights
Xbox confirms no shadow drops for upcoming Developer Direct, signaling that all showcased games will launch later.
Xbox's second Developer Direct is likely to still be great with deeper looks and release dates for promising first-party games.
Xbox has confirmed that it has no plans to shadow drop any of the games set to be shown off at its upcoming Developer Direct. Having recently confirmed its second Developer Direct for January 18, Xbox is prepared to showcase new trailers and info for several of its most anticipated titles, like Oxide Games' Ara: History Untold, Obsidian Entertainment's Avowed, Ninja Theory's Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2, and even MachineGames' Indiana Jones.
After several years of trying different formats, Xbox finally nailed it a year ago when it debuted its first ever Developer Direct. The purpose of the Direct was to inform Xbox fans of some of the major first-party titles that were ready to launch throughout 2023, giving some of the developers behind the games the spotlight as they share the info. Xbox games like Forza Motorsport, Redfall, and Minecraft Legends all received deeper looks and new info regarding their release dates, but the shadow drop of Tango Gameworks' never before seen Hi-Fi Rush is what made Xbox's first Developer Direct a smash hit. The game's colorful art style, rhythm-based action combat, and enticing musical world helped Hi-Fi Rush become a critical darling and the first of 2023's many Game of the Year-caliber experiences.
This year, with Xbox's second Developer Direct right around the corner, fans expecting a similar shadow drop splash a la Hi-Fi Rush may be disappointed. Xbox confirmed that all four of the games set to be shown during the event will launch later, essentially indicating that there are no plans for a first-party shadow release this year. With that said, there's still a chance that a new unknown Xbox game could be revealed for the first time at the Direct, though fans would do well to keep their expectations in check.
While this confirmation from Xbox may be disappointing for many fans who enjoyed Hi-Fi Rush's surprise release a year ago, this year's Direct is still likely to be a great show with deeper looks and, hopefully, release dates for some of Xbox's most promising first party games. It would be hard to imagine major titles such as Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 or Indiana Jones being shadow dropped anyway, as the practice is usually reserved for smaller projects. That said, there's a very good chance that all four games confirmed for the Direct are planning to release in 2024 if last year's show is any indication.
Xbox's Developer Direct is set to go live on January 18, and will likely lay out Xbox's calendar of first-party game releases for 2024. However, it's not the only event Xbox has going on, as it's sandwiched between a Diablo 4 Developer Update Livestream happening earlier and will be followed by ZeniMax Online Studios' The Elder Scrolls Online Global Reveal 2024 event.
Ninja Theory's highly anticipated sequel, Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2, will continue Senua's journey, with the story rumored to be set in Iceland. A fixed release date has yet to be announced, but the game will launch on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and Game Pass.