Xbox to host new game showcase Developer_Direct

Rumors of a new Xbox showcase have been circulating. It will supposedly take place on January 25, according to sources, with an official announcement possibly coming this week.

The details:

• Jez Corden of Windows Central revealed that inside sources have confirmed that Xbox is planning on hosting its own showcase. When it comes to announcements, the show will not be on the scale of E3 or The Game Awards, but rather on the level of Nintendo Direct, with the goal of providing more frequent information outside of the major industry events.
• Games we should expect to see include Arkane’s FPS Redfall, Turn 10’s new Forza Motorsport, and Mojang’s action-strategy game Minecraft Legends. Bethesda’s previously delayed RPG, Starfield, will allegedly be absent from the show with further marketing on its way closer to the game’s release, slated for "the first half of 2023."
• Although there has been no official confirmation as of the time of writing, Aaron Greenberg, vice president of Xbox Game Marketing, tweeted on Monday that this "should be a fun week.” We speculate that this tweet likely has something to do with the show, as it appears it will be quite a big deal for those looking to hear more about the selection of titles on Xbox’s release docket.

Other Microsoft/Xbox news:

• Microsoft is still aiming to acquire Activision-Blizzard after a lengthy battle with Sony and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). After the blocking of an attempt to acquire the gaming giant, Microsoft has since run an ad campaign in The Washington Post voicing support for worker’s unions in the industry, likely in response to Activision-Blizzard attempting to block the unionization of Raven Software and Blizzard Albany’s QA divisions in 2022.
• Xbox’s Game Pass subscription service could receive an ad-supported tier in the near future. In exchange for a small €3 per month subscription fee, the alleged new tier would require players to watch ads before launching any games provided by the service. Other downsides to the service could possibly be delayed access to day-one releases and the stripping of cloud features.
• Although Starfield may be absent from Xbox’s rumored showcase, the team behind the game has been answering fan questions on a semi-regular basis through its "Constellation Questions" video series. The game’s lead quest designer, Will Shen, gave fans an insight into the quest structure and factions that will appear in the title in the most recent entry. You can check out our write-up of the details here.