Here's A Roundup Of Xbox's Developer Direct
Image Source: IGN
2025 is off to the races, and with some of the biggest names in gaming to release this year, it could invariably be one of the best years in video game history. The successor to the Switch was finally, officially, announced and it comes to us this summer. Avowed, Civilization 7, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and of course, GTA 6 are all on their way.
So, naturally, Xbox decided to start the year off with a Developer Direct, and they did not disappoint. The presentations were from id Software, Compulsion Games, and Sandfall Interactive, and the surprise of the day was from none other than Team Ninja.
Right out the gate, Xbox revealed they will be publishing Team Ninja’s next game, which is a beautiful and glorious return of Ninja Gaiden, this time in Ninja Gaiden 4. It’s been over 10 years since the last one, and this go around there seem to be two protagonists: the usual Ryu Hayabusa, and a character named Raven Yakumo. Raven seems to be the main character, so we’ll have to see how Hayabusa factors in here. The combat is reminiscent of the style of previous games and should be welcomed by fans. To tide fans over until its release this fall, Team Ninja released Ninja Gaiden 2 Black yesterday, a remake of the 2008 game.
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The Direct moved on to Compulsion Games, who are working on the game South of Midnight. South is an action RPG set in a version of the south. It kind of gives off Wizard of Oz vibes where she wanders into a hurricane and ends up with magic powers and she encounters myths and legends commonly found in the American south. Her magic revolves are textile artisanship, with common weaving tools now becoming magic objects to shape the world around her. It’s a beautiful game and takes players on a mystical journey through a magic-warped south. It launches on April 8.
It moved on to perhaps one of the most exciting games in the lineup, from Sandfall Interactive. Expedition 33 is another action RPG, but this one is set against the backdrop of a world where a strange monolith appears and displays a number, counting down. Every year, when the number decreases, the people older than the new number dissipate (like Thanos’ snap). Societies send people on expeditions to try and figure out what’s going on and how to stop it, and this game focuses on number 33. It looks like a combination of a steampunk Final Fantasy 7 with open-world exploration and menu-based combat, with a strong story to boot. It releases on April 24.
Finally, the remainder of the show was for the heavy metal first-person shooter, Doom: The Dark Ages. The developers described the approach for this one as different from the run-and-gun and then jump-and-shoot of the last two, and this time, it’s more in-your-face, stand-your-ground kind of combat. Mostly because you get a shield. It will be the largest map in the new Doom games, and given the nature of fighting off the armies of hell, there are more faces and names to supporting characters this time as well. It releases on May 15.
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Source(s): YouTube
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