Xbox Developer Direct: a quick overview of the most important announcements and trailers

Doom, South of Midnight and… ninjas? We show you all the exciting games that will soon be available on your Xbox.

• The year 2025 has seen its first Direct edition. Since Nintendo is taking its time until April, Microsoft had to step into the breach. So instead of Super Mario, it’s the Doom guy; instead of Nintendo Direct, it’s the Xbox Developer Direct.

  Game fans can only be pleased about this. That’s because the titles shown for Xbox and PC will be released in the coming months and look extremely exciting across the board. Let’s take a look at what was shown, shall we? Let’s get started!

  Quick navigation:

  • Doom: The Dark Ages
  • South of Midnight
  • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
  • Ninja Gaiden 4
  • Ninja Gaiden 2 Black

  Table of Contents

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  Doom: The Dark Ages

Boom! Crash! Bang! Splat! Squish! Oh, there are so many blunt words to describe the often equally blunt (but fun!) gameplay of Doom games, simply delightful. In The Dark Ages, it’s also less about the story captivating you and more about you ripping arms off demons.

This time you’re not on a dark Mars station. Instead, you’re romping around in… well, no less dark times than the Middle Ages. Otherwise, everything stays as it is: You shoot like there’s no tomorrow. The shooter orgy is accompanied by brutal metal. This is one of those games that you should never tell your dear granny about when she asks you what you’re doing on the computer.

South of Midnight

South of Midnight is particularly noteworthy for its unusual graphic style. The action-adventure from Compulsion Games uses a stop-motion look that may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s definitely something new.

This could also be a good title for us in terms of gameplay. Instead of a fantasy world, you’ll be romping around in the Deep South, the southeastern tip of the southern United States. Despite the earthly location, there are all kinds of fantasy creatures that the heroine Hazel, with mysterious powers, faces in battle.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Persona fans take note! Atlus isn’t the only company that can design stylish role-playing games with unusual menus. A direct competitor for Persona 5 is approaching from France with big steps, and could become one of the big surprises of 2025.

The setting is extraordinary: you are a member of Expedition 33. What’s the story behind the number? Once a year, the so-called painter wakes up from her sleep and draws a number. Everyone who matches that age dies. And now guess what number is next in line?!

In addition to the beautiful graphics, the main attraction is the combat system, which is described as a Reactive Turn Based Battles are turn-based, but thanks to various real-time elements, they shouldn’t feel static. The trailer above shows exactly how you should imagine it.

Ninja Gaiden 4

To endure a root canal treatment without anesthesia in a Thai backyard or to play Ninja Gaiden on the highest difficulty level? Difficult choice! Before Dark Souls and Co., it was the games of the Japanese studio Tecmo that were legendary for their brutally high standards.

After more than ten years of beauty sleep, Ninja Gaiden is now returning. Part 4 promises a trip to the near future, or more precisely to a devastated Tokyo. In terms of gameplay, however, the series’ recipe for success remains in place. The new protagonist, Yakumo, must fight for his life by combining numerous fighting techniques in a masterly fashion.

Ninja Gaiden 2 Black

The Xbox Developer Direct also had a special treat up its sleeve. The remaster of the second part of the series runs in the Unreal Engine 5 and is alreadyavailable now And you already know: GamePass users can get started right away on Xbox and PC.

So much for the summary of the first Xbox Developer Direct of 2025. What do you think of the games shown? Are you already in the mood to kick some hell with the Doom Guy? Are you melting with enthusiasm for the graphic style of South of Midnight? Do you hope that Ninja Gaiden 4 will be just as legendarily difficult as its predecessors? Let us know in the comments!