Since Xbox basically ghosted The Game Awards in late 2022, I've talked at length about the form of future Xbox events; asking the question of whether Xbox should go down the 'Nintendo Direct' route for upcoming showcases.
Well, that future is almost upon us, as the Xbox Developer_Direct conference takes place this coming Wednesday, and the clue is in the name - this is going to be a more direct event than we're used to seeing from Xbox.
That prospect alone, whatever we see of the games themselves, really excites me. While Xbox has come on leaps and bounds with the likes of Xbox Game Pass in recent years, the platform hasn't been great at communicating, especially when it comes to its own first-party pipeline.
Some of that communication likely comes down to the fact that these games haven't been ready to show off just yet, but still, we're getting to that stage where Xbox Game Studios is going to be bringing the games, and the company needs a more efficient way to show them all off.
What better way than a regular, direct showcase schedule? It's worked wonders for Nintendo especially in the Switch era, and Xbox regularly showing off its exclusive games as and when they're ready to be shown will be great for the fans.
Xbox has its existing studios, all of Bethesda's teams, and potentially Activision Blizzard in the coming months, so it needs to break these events up in a proper, organised manner. Xbox's summer showcases have been strong recently, but I think we just need more regular, official communication from Team Xbox.
I really like the sound of Developer_Direct as well. While we don't know all the details right now (good, I want a few surprises!), we know that the team's involved are getting the chance to talk to us directly about the games they're making, and the more direct communication we get from Xbox's dev teams the better, in my opinion,
The move also feels like a good one for the future of Xbox. If Phil & co. really can turn things around on the content front and deliver a steady stream of first-party titles on Game Pass, it only makes sense to have a regular schedule of showcases as well. I really enjoy the excitement that comes with a big Xbox Game Pass roundup, and if regular Developer_Direct showcases follow, Xbox is going to be a part of the conversation a lot more often in the coming months.
The very first Xbox Developer_Direct is almost here, then, and honestly I can't wait for it. Not just for the announcements and the gameplay reveals, but for what it could mean for Xbox going forward.