We're now exactly ten days away from the recently announced Xbox Developer Direct, the yearly January virtual event where Microsoft shares new details and footage on some of its upcoming first-party games.
As always, Microsoft outlined most of the lineup beforehand. We know the hotly anticipated DOOM: The Dark Ages prequel by id Software will be there, for example. We might even get a release window, as there's a solid chance that the first-person shooter powered by the latest version of the id Tech engine will be launched in the first half of the year.
The new intellectual property from Canadian studio Compulsion Games (Contrast, We Happy Few) will be there, too. South of Midnight is an action/adventure game where players will step into a Southern Gothic fantasy setting heavily based on Southern American folklore. As Hazel, a young heroine who can weave magic for traversal and combat, players must confront various mythical creatures to protect her loved ones and repair the tears in the so-called Grand Tapestry. The game's use of stop-motion animation certainly makes it look very unique.
This year's Xbox Developer Direct will also include a third-party game: Clair Obscur Expedition 33. It's not the first time (last year, the show included Square Enix's Visions of Mana), and we're not complaining anyway as the game looks very interesting, both in its story premise (all those of a certain age, in this case 33, are at risk of dying because of the mysterious Painter) and in its real-time elements to spruce up the regular turn-based JRPG combat. The game will be included with the Game Pass subscription service at launch, so it makes sense for Xbox to show it off there.
But the most intriguing tidbit is that Microsoft promised to also have fans virtually visit a 'surprise location' to see another studio's 'brand new game'. Since then, fans have been wildly speculating about what it could be, and now Windows Central's Jez Corden said he thinks the Xbox Developer Direct will be 'much bigger' than Microsoft has so far let on. The only way for that to happen is for this mystery game to be a really big one.
However, it doesn't seem like it could be coming from an internal Xbox studio. Most of them are already busy with known projects, except perhaps Double Fine, whose latest game is 2021's Psychonauts 2. Their titles rarely qualify as 'really big,' though. Perhaps Contraband from Avalanche Studios is finally ready to be shown, over three years and a half after the announcement. Back then, Avalanche CEO Pim Holfve stated they partnered with Microsoft because of the project's 'grandness' - might that be about to come to fruition? Or could the mystery game be something else entirely? We'll know in ten days.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
Follow Wccftech on Google to get more of our news coverage in your feeds.
