The most recent Xbox Developer Direct has gone one ear and out the other, making it seem like a rather forgettable show in hindsight. Although it was cool seeing the return of Koei Tecmo’s Ninja Gaiden, this show didn’t reveal a lot of exciting news about Xbox’s future. It’s making us wonder what this brand’s identity is in 2025, though one could argue it’s been in question for much longer.
Right now, the company is mostly known for buying other companies and not doing much with them. Most fans will point to the poor use of Rare, who previously made excellent games for the Nintendo 64. Since then, the company has barely hit those heights again. Sea of Thieves is the lone exception, managing to become so popular that it’s now on PS5.
Double Fine was acquired in 2019, and the studio hasn’t released anything since its hit platformer, Psychonauts 2. Ninja Theory recently released Hellblade 2 to mixed reviews, though fans liked how honest the devs were about this being a shorter game. Bethesda and Activision Blizzard are fine, but they don’t always make exclusive titles.
More infamously, Xbox dissolved Tango Gameworks even though they made Hi-Fi Rush. This game gave the company more personality; fans hoped to see more titles like it. While Tango has since been saved, it is disappointing that Microsoft isn’t working on anything like Hi-Fi Rush right now.
In fairness, the company is trying to make some original games. Despite what we’re about to say about the Direct, they did show South of Midnight. Despite what some problematic fans say, this looks like a quality gaming experience, and it’s good to see something new from the studio.
Beyond that, fans are wondering why the enormous publisher has lessened the output of several Xbox franchises. Gears of War: E-Day was shown off last year, and it looks great, but not seeing it on this show was disappointing. The rebooted Perfect Dark also looked amazing, so it was unfortunate that the shooter didn’t get a snazzy new trailer.
More tragic is the fate of the Xbox RPG Fable. We’ve only seen a couple of trailers for this game, but oddly, we've gone ages without getting an update. It doesn’t help that this is the first confirmed game in the series after some cancelations and older entries like Fable 3 getting de-listed on PC.
While the Direct did showcase promising titles like Ninja Gaiden 4 and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, these are multi-platform games that fans can play on PS5. The same goes for Doom: The Dark Ages, whose release date has already been leaked. As these shows continue, they will feel less like “Xbox” shows and more like video game highlight reels.
Simply put, Xbox needs to prioritize what it wants to be. Do they just want to be a gaming streaming service with Game Pass? Considering how they’re actively making games for PlayStation 5 and the Switch 2, they might want that.