2023 saw the debut of Xbox Developer Direct - a new showcase format created to highlight specific games outside of Xbox's big summer showcases. January's multi-game dev direct gave us the surprising Hi-Fi RUSH shadow drop, while Bethesda's June presentation focused on all-things Starfield. And, it looks like we could see more of these in future - as hinted by the Xbox boss.
Yep, Phil Spencer has touched on the recent showcases on Twitter, saying that he "really likes" the format and how it puts game creators front and centre.
"On the dev directs, I really like the format. Whether it's one game deep dive like Starfield or more games, like January show, I think it's good to spotlight the creators and hear their vision."
At the moment we don't have any more 'Developer Direct' shows announced - but after this statement from Phil we'd expect the format to return when Xbox has something to show in lots of detail. Last month's hyper-detailed Starfield Direct certainly made a splash, and we could definitely see Team Xbox follow that format for another upcoming AAA release, when the time is right.
We now have all of our bases covered when it comes to Xbox presentations, then, and we really hope more Dev Directs are announced soon. For now, we can expect a different kind of presentation from Microsoft when a new ID@Xbox Showcase arrives next week.