Microsoft will hold its first Xbox Developer Direct of 2025 on Jan. 23 with a look at four games: Doom: The Dark Ages, South of Midnight, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and… a mystery game that will be revealed during Thursday’s livestream.
Xbox Developer Direct 2025 will stream on Thursday at 10 a.m. PST/1 p.m. EST/6 p.m. GMT, and can be viewed on the official Xbox YouTube and Twitch channels.
The Xbox team promises a new look at gameplay, features, and news on the announced upcoming titles. As with previous Xbox Developer Directs, those details will come straight from the game creators itself — in this instance at id Software, Compulsion Games, and Sandfall Interactive. Microsoft describes the fourth, unannounced game as in development at “a surprise studio.”
Doom: The Dark Ages will send players back in time for a medieval prequel that will unpack the “origin story of the Doom Slayer’s rage” when it’s released this year. South of Midnight is a magical realist occult adventure from the makers of We Happy Few that will explore the folklore, music, and rural environments of a fictionalized South. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 will blend turn-based RPG play with real-time mechanics in a Belle Époque-inspired setting. As for the mystery game, it’s been reported to be a “new entry in a legendary Japanese IP which has decades of history.”
The three confirmed games shown during Thursday’s Xbox showcase will help kick off a strong year for Microsoft’s gaming business. Other games coming in 2025 from Xbox Game Studios include next month’s Avowed, Playground Games’ reboot of Fable, and The Outer Worlds 2.
