Xbox has announced the return of its Xbox Developer Direct event on January 22, 2026, which so far looks to be a Playground Games-focused event with a look at both Forza Horizon 6 and Fable, though tagging along and not to be outdone is Pokémon developer Game Freak, which will be showcasing its upcoming non-Pokémon game, Beast of Reincarnation.
That's what we know will be there, but there will likely be more shown at the event; every year that Xbox has hosted its Developer Direct to start off the new year, it has led with a few titles that it confirms will be shown ahead of time, and held back one or two surprises to be revealed at the show.
2025's Developer Direct, for example, announced that we'd get a look at South of Midnight, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and DOOM: The Dark Ages ahead of the show. The surprise was the reveal of Ninja Gaiden 4 and Ninja Gaiden 2: Black, to round out the show.
As for what we know Xbox will show at the event, according to the Xbox Wire blog post, we'll get to see gameplay for all three of the aforementioned titles, with the Forza Horizon 6 segment being "a deep-dive" on the coming racer.
What's more interesting to note, however, is that Xbox Developer Direct events have a history of revealing release dates for the games shown. It's not a surefire thing, of course, but if Xbox keeps that tradition for this year, then we can expect release dates for Fable, Forza Horizon 6, and Beast of Reincarnation.
We could have anticipated a release date for Forza Horizon 6, as we've known that it is targeting a first-half of 2026 release window. Beast of Reincarnation is a surprise and a bit of a wildcard, since we don't know too much about the upcoming action RPG from Game Freak, who seem to be stepping far outside their comfort zone by making something totally separate from the most well-known franchise in the world.
Fable is the most intriguing of the bunch to get a release date for. The last we heard, after it was delayed out of 2025 and into 2026, was that it might not even hit its proposed 2026 release window. Hopefully, its presence at the Developer Direct means we will get a release date and that the game's development isn't as troubled as it has seemed from the outside looking in.
Beyond that, who knows what will be shown at the event. We could get another look at Gears of War: E-Day, or something that's not yet on anyone's radar. This year is Xbox's 25th anniversary year, so we ought to expect Team Green to go all-out right from the beginning. We'll find out when the show premieres on January 22, 2026, at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm BT.
About the author: David has been writing about videogames, technology, and culture since 2020, with a focus on reporting daily news across multiple publications, including GameDaily.Biz, GameSkinny, and PlayStation Universe before joining Wccftech in 2025. David started contributing as Canada/US reporter for Wccftech's gaming section in 2025. Besides being up-to-date on the industry's movements, he loves interviewing developers, reviewing games, and writing intricate essays about the symbolism and layered meanings to be found in rich narratives as he's done for publications like GamesIndustry.Biz, LostInCult, and others. Outside of games he loves movies, music, theatre, his hometown, and his family, though not necessarily in that order.
Follow Wccftech on Google to get more of our news coverage in your feeds.
