January might almost be over, but Microsoft made some noise to start 2025 with its Xbox Developer Direct and the surprise announcement of Ninja Gaiden 4 and a preview of the upcoming Doom: The Dark Ages.
The Xbox Developer Direct happened Thursday and featured extended gameplay footage and developer insights for a quartet of Xbox studio games: Doom: The Dark Ages, South of Midnight, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Ninja Gaiden 4.
Microsoft needed to drum up some excitement for its games as Sony continues to outperform it in console and software sales, as well as Nintendo having already made its big news of the year with the official announcement of the Switch 2. It appears it worked, as the hype for the new Doom and Ninja Gaiden games is off the charts after the event.
How can I watch the Xbox Developer Direct?
You can watch a replay of it via the YouTube stream posted above and on the Xbox Twitch channel, the Xbox ASL Twitch channel, the Bethesda YouTube channel, the Bethesda Twitch channel and the Xbox page on Facebook.
What games were shown Xbox Developer Direct?
The first big reveal was the teased mystery game, Ninja Gaiden 4. Team Ninja partnered with Bayonetta and Nier: Automata developer Platinum Games to revive the dormant franchise. The new game stars a new ninja hero, Yakumo, and developers said it will feature the stiff difficulty the franchise is known for yet new players will still find it approachable. Along with the news of the next game in the franchise coming later this year, Team Ninja also released a remaster for 2008’s Ninja Gaiden 2 Black for Xbox Game Pass.
South of Midnight from Compulsion Games is a stylish action-adventure game that takes place in a fictional town in the American South. Players take control of Hazel, who uses her weaving powers to remove the spiritual corruption turning natural creatures into loathsome monsters. South of Midnight is set to be released on April 8.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a stylish RPG from Sandfall Interactive. Although the gameplay is turn-based, the characters are still active in battle with the ability to dodge, perform combos and parry. Expedition 33 comes out on April 24.
Finishing up the show was Doom: The Dark Ages. The new game in the iconic series acts as a prequel to 2016’s Doom reboot, shifting the gameplay from quick jumps and dashes to slower brawling with new mechanics. The Doom Slayer will take on hordes of demons, but he will have access to new tools, including a shield saw, new melee weapons, a cybernetic dragon and a giant mech, just to name a few.
All the games shown in the Xbox Developer Direct will be available on Xbox Game Pass when they are released.
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