Xbox Developer_Direct 2024 as it happened: News and trailers for Hellblade 2, Avowed, and more
Microsoft is back with another exciting showcase for upcoming first-party Xbox exclusives.
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It’s only been a little over a month since we saw plenty of exciting game reveals and trailers during The Game Awards, but for Xbox fans, there was already another show to look forward to: Xbox Developer_Direct 2024. Like the first iteration of the event that debuted near the start of 2023, this one gave players in-depth looks at several Microsoft first-party exclusives coming to Xbox and PC later this year.
Compared to larger showcases like Summer Game Fest and Gamescom Opening Night Live, the Xbox Developer_Direct is smaller in scope, with the show lasting roughly 45 minutes. However, that shorter runtime meant a tighter, focused look at “upcoming titles, how they’re being created, and who’s creating them,” with none of the advertisements typically sprinkled throughout lengthier presentations. It was also fully presented by Xbox Game Studios developers, rather than by a host.
This year, we got to check out more of MachineGames’Indiana Jones game, Obsidian Entertainment’s highly anticipated fantasy RPGAvowed, Oxide Games' upcoming 4X strategy titleAra: History Untold, and Ninja Theory’s long-awaited sequelSenua’s Saga: Hellblade II, along with a surprise look atSquare Enix’s Visions of Manathat’s coming to Xbox. Notably, beforethe Xbox Developer_Direct show kicked off on January 18, 2024 at 12:00 p.m. PT / 3:00 p.m. ET, Blizzard also hosted aDiablo 4Developer Update Livestream. Then, shortly after the conclusion of the event, ZeniMax Online Studios' revealed the newThe Elder Scrolls OnlineDLC, Gold Road.
All in all, it was an incredibly exciting day for Xbox fans — especially since everything shown at the Direct other than Visions of Mana will be available day one onXbox Game Pass. Team Windows Central was there for all of it, providing live reports and commentary on all the biggest and breaking news right here. You can find all of it down below, so make sure you check it out if you’re looking for a recap.
Watch Xbox Developer_Direct 2024 here:
Latest Xbox Developer_Direct 2024 announcements
Hello everyone, and welcome to Windows Central’s live coverage of the Xbox Developer_Direct 2024 show! I have to say, I’m very glad that Microsoft seems to be making this an annual event, as the streamlined style of this showcase feels like a breath of fresh air compared to other gaming presentations.Team Windows Central collectively disliked The Game Awardsand the way it prioritized ads and Hollywood celebrity appearances over letting developers actually talk about the games they’ve made, so an event like this that puts them front and center is a real palate cleanser.
I, along with my colleagues, will be covering the Developer_Direct live from start to finish, so make sure you stick with us as the event unfolds. Also, we’ll be bringing you plenty of commentary and analysis before, during, and after the show — and maybe even a few spicy hot takes, too.— Brendan Lowry, Gaming Contributor
Don’t expect any Xbox shadow drops during Developer_Direct
While the shadow drop of Tango Gameworks' bombastic rhythm gameHi-Fi Rushduring the first Developer_Direct show was a wonderful surprise, Microsoft says you shouldn’t get your hopes up for a similar bombshell release during this year’s presentation. In anXbox Wire blog postpublished a few days ago, the publisher confirmed that there won’t be one.
“All the games in this year’s Developer_Direct will be arriving later, with more details to be shared in the program,” wrote Xbox Wire Editor-in-Chief Joe Skrebels.
That’s a bit disappointing, though I suppose surprise shadow drops wouldn’t really be a surprise if we had reason to expect one during every single showcase. Plus, keep in mind that every game shown during the event is expected to launch in 2024, so we likely won’t have to waittoolong to get our hands on them. Fingers crossed.— Brendan Lowry
What to expect from Xbox Developer_Direct 2024
The Xbox Developer_Direct 2024 show is just about two hours away as I write this, and naturally, everyone is wondering what exactly we’ll see from MachineGames, Obsidian Entertainment, Oxide Games, and Ninja Theory on each of their respective titles. Of course, there’s no way to know exact specifics until the event actually happens, but we do have a general idea of what to expect thanks to some details Microsoft gave when it announced the presentation. These include the following:
It’s worth noting that a few minutes after the Developer_Direct showcase concludes, ZeniMax Online Studios will reveal the next “Chapter” for The Elder Scrolls Online at 1:00 p.m. PT / 4:00 p.m. ET. This will include “the new zone, storyline, and other major features coming in the game’s biggest update this year.” Since its release way back in 2014, the expansive fantasy MMO has grown to become one of the most popular online games.
Curious about what Activision Blizzard, which was recently acquired by Microsoft, is working on next? We are, too, but Microsoft says we won’t hear more about its next projects until later this year.— Brendan Lowry
How to watch the Xbox Developer_Direct 2024
Hoping to catch the Xbox Developer_Direct live, but not sure how or where to tune in? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. My colleague Rebecca Spear put together an in-depth explainerhere, but in short, you can watch the livestream live through any of the following Xbox and Bethesda channels on YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook:
In addition to these primary locations, the Xbox Developer_Direct will also be livestreamed to regional Xbox and Bethesda channels around the world. You can watch it on Valve’s PC game distribution client Steam, too, and it’ll appear on Bilibili for Chinese viewers on Friday, January 19.
If you’re not able to watch the show, Microsoft says an official recap will be published as soon as it’s over (including localized versions), along with detailed Xbox Wire blog posts. Of course, Team Windows Central will be covering all the news live as it happens right here, too, so stay tuned!— Brendan Lowry
The Xbox Developer_Direct is only about an hour away now, and I’m starting to feel some serious hype about getting a closer look at Avowed. Of the four games that we know we’re seeing today, Obsidian’s new RPG is undoubtedly the one I’m looking forward to the most.
Now, don’t get me wrong — an Indiana Jones game from the Wolfenstein devs sounds like it could be uniquely awesome, and I’m excited to see more of both Ara: History Untold and Hellblade II. But ever since playing through Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords in complete amazement as a kid, Obsidian Entertainment has remained one of my all-time favorite developers.Fallout: New Vegas, Pillars of Eternity,The Outer Worlds,Grounded,Pentiment— this studio consistently puts out banger after banger, and I’m sure Avowed will blow my mind, too.
Anyway, now is a great time to stretch and grab some food before the show, so make sure you do so while you’ve still got some time.— Brendan Lowry
Just 30 minutes away now! I’m back in my office chair — fueled by cold pizza leftovers and diet soda — and I’m prepped to bring you all detailed live coverage of 2024’s first major gaming event. I hope you’re ready for a great show, because there’s no doubt in my mind that MachineGames, Obsidian, Oxide, and Ninja Theory have exciting things to show off today.— Brendan Lowry
Diablo 4 Season of the Construct: Here’s what’s coming
Ahead of the Developer_Direct show, Blizzard Entertainment showed off Diablo 4’s upcoming Season of the Construct in a new Developer Update livestream, complete with in-depth looks at its story, gameplay content, and more. It’s scheduled to begin on January 23, 2024, and while my colleague Jennifer Young has put togethera very detailed recap of the livestream, I’ve also summarized the major bullet points here if you just want a quick-and-dirty look at what’s coming.
Make sure you check out the aforementioned article for a complete overview of everything Season of the Construct has in store for Diablo 4 players.— Brendan Lowry
Alright, here we go! Enjoy the show, everyone, and remember to stay tuned for tons of live coverage.— Brendan Lowry
Avowed was first up at Xbox Developer_Direct 2024
The first game of the show was Avowed, Obsidian’s new fantasy RPG set in the Pillars of Eternity universe. The game’s combat system was showcased in great detail, illustrating how players can switch between melee, ranged, and magic attacks rapidly in order to deal with the various threats you’ll face on the battlefield. Basically, it looks like a more slick and fluid interpretation of The Elder Scrolls combat, complete with loadout options you can swap between at will. More on the game’s story and speech systems shortly!— Brendan Lowry
Obsidian also highlighted how Avowed is built from the ground up to give players many different ways to approach conflicts beyond combat, with the world and the characters in it reacting very differently to you depending on the actions you take and the words you say. This confirms the game’s design is similar to other past Obsidian RPGs, and built to support a wide variety of roleplaying decisions.
The Avowed showcase then concluded with a look at the game’s varied art direction, featuring everything from bright, vibrant, and tropical lands to dark, mysterious caverns and brutal, volcanic environments. The Living Lands are incredibly diverse, and look to be an amazing world for players to explore and play around in.— Brendan Lowry
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II gets May 21 release date
Second up during Developer_Direct was Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, which got a beautiful showcase in which developer Ninja Theory showed how it’s using motion capture, audio design, consultations with health professionals, and more to shape and inform the storytelling of the long-awaited sequel. The game also got a concrete May 21, 2024 release date, and is coming to Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Xbox Game Pass.— Brendan Lowry
Surprise! Square Enix reveals Visions of Mana, coming to Xbox and PC
We’ve been wondering if Xbox would reveal a surprise new game during the Developer_Direct, and it looks like we were right to do so, because Square Enix showed up out of nowhere and hit us with Visions of Mana. This new entry in the high fantasy ARPG franchise looks to be an incredibly faithful addition to the series, with gorgeous vibrant colors, a rich story, and plenty of flashy combat.
Interestingly, this is the only game shown at the Developer_Direct that isn’t an Xbox exclusive, and it won’t be on Xbox Game Pass, either. It’s scheduled to launch at some point in summer 2024, and will be available on Xbox Series X|S as well as Windows PCs.— Brendan Lowry
Ara: History Untold looks like the 4X game of our dreams
Oxide Games' showcase for Ara: History Untold has us convinced it’ll probably be one of the best 4X strategy games ever made. The developer highlighted how players will be able to focus on any aspect of their civilization they want and still have a route towards victory, detailing how they’ll also have more options than ever before to tweak and tune their societies to respond to threats or address issues. Players will even be able to move simultaneously, which eliminates long (and often boring) periods of time where you have to wait until it’s your turn in other titles.
Ara: History Untold is slated to launch later this year in fall 2024, and will be exclusive to PC at first. It’s unclear if it’ll come to Xbox at a later date, at the moment.— Brendan Lowry
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle officially coming 2024
We’ve finally gotten a clear look at MachineGames' Indiana Jones game, officially titled Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Along with a rather hilariousgameplay trailerthat shows the iconic hero battling Nazis and exploring the world, the studio premiered a detailed overview of the game with tons of information. Set between Raiders of the Lost Ark and Last Crusade, the Great Circle follows Indy as he chases after a stolen relic across the world.
MachineGames' primary goal was to put the player in Indy’s shoes, and based on all the awesome gameplay footage we got, that came across loud and clear. With his trusty whip in hand, you’ll be swinging through treacherous environments, solving ancient puzzles, and more.
We don’t have a narrowed-down release date yet, but it’s been confirmed that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is coming to Xbox Series X|S and PC later in 2024.— Brendan Lowry
And that’s a wrap! Thanks for catching the show with us, and stay tuned for more in-depth recaps of each game shown now that the event’s concluded. Also, stick around for coverage on what’s next for The Elder Scrolls Online!— Brendan Lowry
Here’s what Obsidian had to show for Avowed
Of the five games shown off during Xbox’s Developer_Direct presentation, Avowed was the first up — and it’s also the one I’m the most excited for. Developer Obsidian Entertainment put together a comprehensive eight-minute long overview to show during the event, revealing extensive details about the RPG’s combat mechanics, speech and dialogue systems, world design, and more. You can watch the whole thing with the embedded video above, but if you’d prefer a quick read instead, we’ve got you covered with the highlights:
Avowed is scheduled to release in fall 2024, and will be available to play on Xbox Series X|S and PC systems. It will also be available day one on Xbox Game Pass.— Brendan Lowry
Ninja Theory dives deep into Hellblade 2’s development
Following Obsidian’s Avowed showcase, developerNinja Theory debuted a rich eight-minute long overview of its own for Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, the highly anticipated follow-up to the award-winning 2017 narrative action-adventure game Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. Here’s a complete recap of everything the studio talked about:
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is slated to release on Xbox Series X|S, PC, and on Xbox Game Pass on May 21, 2024.— Brendan Lowry
Square Enix stole the spotlight with Visions of Mana
While we didn’t get any shadow drops today, the Developer_Direct wasn’t without a surprise. Square Enix shocked Xbox fans with the unexpected announcement that Visions of Mana — the latest entry in the classic high fantasy action RPG series that began with Final Fantasy Adventure all the way back in 1991 — will launch on Microsoft’s console. You can watch the showcase above, or check out the highlights with the bullet points below:
In addition to other platforms, Visions of Mana will be available on Xbox Series X|S and PC when it releases in summer 2024. Notably, this is the first time a Mana game has been playable on Microsoft’s console, though it won’t be on Xbox Game Pass.— Brendan Lowry
What you need to know about Ara: History Untold
Oxide Games also made quite an appearance at the show, offering fans a thorough overview of its upcoming historical 4X strategy game Ara: History Untold. Put together by veteran developers known for creating incredible titles in the genre like Civilization V, we’ve had our eyes on this one for quite some time — and our excitement is greater than ever after seeing what Oxide had to show off. Here’s a full recap:
Ara: History Untold is expected to launch on PC and PC Game Pass in fall 2024. At the moment, it hasn’t been announced for Xbox consoles.— Brendan Lowry
MachineGames' Indiana Jones and the Great Circle showcase
The Xbox Developer_Direct’s last showcase was also its largest: MachineGames' full overview of its upcoming action-adventure game Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, executively produced by Bethesda’s Todd Howard. At over 14 minutes long and full of great information, it was arguably the best presentation of the day — and we’ve got a full breakdown of it for you below, along with an embed of the video above if you want to watch it yourself. Here are all the juicy details we know about Indy’s next adventure:
MachineGames also confirmed what we’ve been expecting since the game’s presence at Developer_Direct was announced, which is that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is scheduled to release in 2024. Like most other games at the show, it’ll be available on Xbox Series X|S, PC, and through Game Pass.— Brendan Lowry
The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road revealed after Developer_Direct
The Xbox Developer_Direct was a great show, but the fun didn’t stop there. Shortly after its conclusion, Xbox livestreamed the reveal of ZeniMax Online Studios' next major expansion for The Elder Scrolls Online. Dubbed “Gold Road,” this new DLC will introduce a brand new story, fresh zones to explore, gameplay additions, and more. My colleague Samuel Tolbert put together adetailed overview of everything coming, but if you just want a quick look at what’s on the way, look no further:
The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road is set to launch on Windows PC and Mac on June 3, 2024, with the Xbox and PlayStation versions of the game getting the DLC a few weeks later on June 18, 2024.— Brendan Lowry
