Microsoft has a huge lineup of big games for the Xbox Series X/S and PC (as well as PlayStation 5) this year, and it’s getting the ball rolling early with a January showcase to give players a better look at Doom: The Dark Ages and a bunch of other stuff coming out in 2025.
Xbox’s first Developer Direct of the year will take place on January 23 at 1:00 p.m. ET, with looks at games coming day-one to Game Pass Ultimate and beyond. Unlike a traditional showcase, the Developer Direct offers fans a chance to hear directly from the people making the games in mini behind-the-scenes vignettes that put a human face on the blockbuster products years in the making.
The January Xbox Developer Direct is set to include deep dives on all of the following:
- DOOM: The Dark Ages – Developed by id Software, DOOM: The Dark Ages is the prequel to the critically acclaimed DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal that tells the epic cinematic origin story of the Doom Slayer’s rage. In this third installment of the modern DOOM series, players will step into the blood-stained boots of the Doom Slayer in this never-before-seen dark and sinister medieval war against Hell. Learn more during the full game reveal at Developer_Direct.
- South of Midnight – Compulsion Games, the creators of Contrast and We Happy Few, will share a deep dive on South of Midnight, a third person action-adventure game set in the American Deep South. As Hazel, you will explore the mythos and confront mysterious creatures inspired by Southern Folklore to unravel her family’s hidden past in this dark, modern folktale.
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Sandfall Interactive will take us behind-the-scenes at their studio to shed some light on the development of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, this debut studio’s incredible new RPG. The team will share more about the game’s creation and how they plan to deliver an incredible story in a gorgeous fantasy world.
The art for the showcase also lists a fourth game with a series of question marks. It could be something from one of Xbox’s partners or a first-party release. Fable is also set to come out in 2025, and there’s speculation that Gears of War: E-Day could potentially hit this year as well. Or maybe Rare’s long-in-development Viva Piñata-like survival adventure game Everwild has finally turned the corner and is ready to come out. That game was revealed back at a 2019 Xbox showcase but subsequently faced a number of departures and a full reboot. Rare randomly teased new art for the game at the end of 2024 after years of silence on the project.
Whatever the mystery game is, it’s coming out in 2025.
.
