Xbox Developer Direct
Xbox Developer Direct is a series of livestream events produced by Microsoft Gaming to showcase upcoming first-party content from Xbox Game Studios, Bethesda Softworks, Activision, Blizzard Entertainment, and King. The livestreams also include third-party titles. The Developer Direct takes place at the beginning of each year in January.
History
Xbox Developer Direct was founded as part of Microsoft's ongoing efforts to enhance communication and engagement with gamers worldwide. Prior to Developer Direct, some critics argued that Xbox needed to have a showcase to establish "brand identity" and differentiate themselves from other competitors' platform showcases such as Nintendo Direct and State of Play. Additionally, there were suggestions that Xbox should be more transparent regarding the development of their video games.The first showcase was announced on January 11, 2023, and took place on January 25, 2023. Developer Direct has evolved and expanded. Initially focusing on presentations from Xbox Game Studios and Bethesda Softworks, in 2024 the event series has grown to encompass a broader range of developers and publishers, including third-party titles. Following Microsoft Gaming's strategic pivot towards multiplatform publishing in 2024, the January 2025 installment of Xbox Developer Direct was the first presentation to advertise the availability of Xbox's first and second-party titles on platforms outside Microsoft's ecosystem, such as Ninja Gaiden 4 and Doom: The Dark Ages on PlayStation 5. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer confirmed the following month that all Microsoft Gaming showcases going forward would be transparent about the availability of their games on PlayStation and Nintendo consoles.
Format
Each Xbox Developer Direct event typically features a combination of announcements, trailers, gameplay reveals, and developer interviews. These presentations offer audiences a look into upcoming games, downloadable content, expansion packs, updates, and other relevant developments. The format allows developers to showcase their games directly to fans and consumers and announce brand-new video game content.List of events
Alongside the Xbox Developer Direct livestreams, other Xbox events without the "Xbox Developer Direct" branding are listed.Xbox Developer Direct
Xbox Games Showcase
The Xbox Games Showcase debuted in 2021 as a joint presentation between Xbox Game Studios and Bethesda Softworks replacing the publisher's traditional E3 press conference around that timeframe, before being rebranded to reflect the expanded Microsoft Gaming group. The showcase similarly recurs annually during the summer season, and features a mix of previously announced and new titles from across Microsoft Gaming's subsidiaries and an array of third-party partners. Since 2023, Xbox Games Showcase has been immediately followed by a dedicated "Direct" presentation specifically focused on an upcoming game from Xbox's first-party studios.| Name | Date | Duration | Games featured | |
| Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase E3 2021 | June 13, 2021 | 2 hours, 15 minutes | Starfield, Halo Infinite, Forza Horizon 5, Redfall, Diablo II: Resurrected, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, Back 4 Blood, Battlefield 2042, Contraband, The Outer Worlds 2, Sea of Thieves: A Pirate's Life, Grounded, Yakuza series, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising, Twelve Minutes, Psychonauts 2, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Age of Empires IV, Doom Eternal, Fallout 76, The Elder Scrolls Online, Party Animals, Hades, Somerville, A Plague Tale: Requiem, Far Cry 6, Slime Rancher 2, Atomic Heart, Shredders, Replaced, Among Us, The Ascent | |
| Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase | June 12, 2022 | 1 hour, 35 minutes and 18 seconds | Redfall, Hollow Knight: Silksong, High on Life, A Plague Tale: Requiem, Forza Motorsport, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Overwatch 2, Ara: History Untold, The Elder Scrolls Online - High Isle, Fallout 76, Forza Horizon 5, Ark 2, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn, Minecraft Legends, Lightyear Frontier, Gunfire Reborn, The Last Case of Benedict Fox, League of Legends, League of Legends: Wild Rift, Valorant, As Dusk Falls, Naraka: Bladepoint, Pentiment, Grounded, Ereban: Shadow Legacy, Diablo IV, Sea of Thieves, Ravenlok, Cocoon, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, Persona 3 Portable, Persona 4 Golden, Persona 5 Royal, OD, Starfield | |
| Xbox Games Showcase + Starfield Direct | June 11, 2023 | 1 hour, 52 minutes, and 18 seconds | Fable, South of Midnight, Star Wars: Outlaws, 33 Immortals, Payday 3, Persona 3 Reload, Avowed, Sea of Thieves, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2, Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Fallout 76, Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, Forza Motorsport, The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom, Overwatch 2, Persona 5 Tactica, Starfield, Jusant, Still Wakes The Deep, Dungeons of Hinterberg, Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty, Cities: Skylines II, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Towerborne, Clockwork Revolution | |
| Xbox Games Showcase + Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Direct | June 9, 2024 | 1 hour, 47 minutes, and 7 seconds | Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Doom: The Dark Ages, State of Decay 3, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Starfield: Shattered Space, Fallout 76, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, South of Midnight, World of Warcraft: The War Within, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, Sea of Thieves, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn, Age of Mythology: Retold, Perfect Dark, Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred, Fable, FragPunk, Winter Burrow, Mixtape, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road, Life is Strange: Double Exposure, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Mecha Break, Avowed, Atomfall, Assassin's Creed Shadows, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, Gears of War: E-Day | |
| Xbox Games Showcase + The Outer Worlds 2 and Grounded 2 Direct | June 8, 2025 | 2 hours | ROG Xbox Ally devices, The Outer Worlds 2, High on Life 2, Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy, Hollow Knight: Silksong, The Blood of Dawnwalker, Super Meat Boy 3D, Ninja Gaiden 4, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – The Order of Giants, Beast of Reincarnation, Clockwork Revolution, Grounded 2, Cronos: The New Dawn, The Elder Scrolls Online, Aphelion, There Are No Ghosts At the Grand, Age of Mythology: Retold – Heavenly Spear, Mudang Two Hearts, Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf, Fallout 76, Solo Leveling: Arise Overdrive, Aniimo, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4, At Fate's End, Gears of War: Reloaded, Persona 4 Revival, Sea of Thieves, Invincible VS, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, Final Fantasy XVI, Keeper, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 |
Xbox Partner Preview
Xbox Partner Preview debuted in 2023 as a shorter presentation of previously announced and newly debuted upcoming titles, coming to Xbox platforms from third-party publishers.| Name | Date | Duration | Games featured | |
| Xbox Partner Preview | October 25, 2023 | 28 minutes and 51 seconds | Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, Alan Wake 2, Ark: Survival Ascended, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Still Wakes the Deep, Manor Lords, IKARO: Will Not Die, Spirit of the North 2, RoboCop: Rogue City, Dungeons of Hinterberg, The Finals | |
| Xbox Partner Preview | March 6, 2024 | 29 minutes and 31 seconds | Unknown 9: Awakening, Sleight of Hand, The Alters, Creatures of Ava, Roblox, The Sinking City 2, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Legends of the Zone Trilogy, Monster Jam Showdown, Persona 3 Reload, The First Berserker: Khazan, Tales of Kenzera: Zau, Frostpunk 2, Final Fantasy XIV Online, Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess | |
| Xbox Partner Preview | October 17, 2024 | 28 minutes and 43 seconds | Alan Wake 2 - The Lake House, Cronos: The New Dawn, Blindfire, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, Mouse: P.I. For Hire ''Subnautica 2, Animal Well, Edens Zero, Eternal Strands, Mistfall Hunter, Wheel World, Phasmophobia, The Legend Of Baboo, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, FBC: Firebreak | |
| Xbox Partner Preview | November 20, 2025 | 33 minutes and 48 seconds | 007 First Light, Reanimal, Tides of Annihilation, Crowsworn, Zoopunk, Armatus, CloverPit, Dave The Diver, Echo Generation 2, Hitman: World of Assassination, Total Chaos, Vampire Crawlers, Roadside Research, Raji: Kaliyuga, Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled, RAGE 2, Far Cry New Dawn, Exoborne, Star Wars Galactic Racer, Anthem, Devil May Cry 5, Black Myth: Wukong, Star Wars Outlaws, Diablo IV, End Of Abyss, Styx: Blades Of Greed, Exodus, Prince of Persia: The Sands Of Time Remake, The Mound: Omen of Cthulu, Erosion'' |