First Xbox Developer Direct of 2024 airing January 18
Xbox is kicking off the new year with a special Developer Direct, and we won't have to wait too long for it.
The rumours are true! Xbox is bringing back its Developer Direct showcase, with the first one of 2024 to be livestreamed later this month, January 18. The company dropped the news today alongside a brief blog post which helpfully goes over all the games we can expect to see at the show.
Developer Direct is basically Xbox's version of Sony's State of Play, and Nintendo's Direct. The moniker was introduced last year, and given the event's track record so far, big things were to be expected. It looks like those expectations are on the money, as MachineGames' Indiana Jones game is getting shown off, as is Avowed, Ara: History Untold, and Senua's Sacrifice II.
Microsoft seems to like the January spot for these Directs, too. Last January, the first Xbox Developer Direct brought us news about first-party Xbox Game Studios projects, as well as updates from Bethesda and Zenimax's teams. This was also the show where the excellent Hi-Fi Rush was revealed and released, so hopefully Xbox has a similar surprise in store for us with this week's showcase.
The show will be livestreamed on the Xbox YouTube and Twitch channels, at 12pm PT / 3pm ET / 8pm UK. If you're a fan of the Elder Scrolls Online, there's also a dedicated stream for that game coming immediately afterwards at 1pm PT / 4pm ET / 9pm UK.
As for what we can actually expect from this particular Developer Direct, the announcement said that Indiana Jones will be getting "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". Avowed is getting a deep dive into its gameplay, as is Ara: History Untold. Finally, Senua's Sacrifice II is getting a behind the scenes look at the Cambridge studio. So all in all, a packed showcase.