Xbox hosted its Developer Direct showcase today, detailing progress on three games we knew about and one totally new title, Ninja Gaiden 4. If you couldn’t tune in, here’s what you missed:
Ninja Gaiden 4
Ninja Gaiden 4 is being co-developed by Team Ninja and PlatinumGames, best known for the Bayonetta series. The trailer introduces a new protagonist, Yakumo, and Team Ninja is pitching the game as a “true successor” to Ninja Gaiden 3 after the misstep of the Ninja Gaiden Z spinoff. It certainly seems like the exact middle ground between classic Ninja Gaiden and PlatinumGames action. It’s coming to PC, PS5 and Xbox this fall, and will be on Xbox Game Pass on day one.
Read more: Ninja Gaiden 4 is coming out this fall
South of Midnight
Following Ninja Gaiden was South of Midnight, the next game from Compulsion Games, which previous made We Happy Few. South of Midnight has been in the works for a long time, and the studio has been good at communicating progress, especially in recent months. All of which is to say, there wasn’t a lot of new info here, aside from a release date: April 8, 2025. (Just to keep the streak going — yes, this will be available on Game Pass on day one.)
Read more: The striking South of Midnight comes to Xbox and PC on April 8
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has been on our radar for some time, and it’s still looking great. It’s the debut title from Sandfall Interactive, a French studio. Drawing inspiration from France in its late 19th-century golden age, Clair Obscur is a fantasy adventure that seems to pull heavily from the world of JRPGs — even the music at the start of Sandfall’s segment sounded like the Velvet Room from the Persona series. Again, the big news was a release date — April 24. It’ll be arriving on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox consoles, and will be playable on Game Pass on day one.
Doom: The Dark Ages
While we knew it was coming, id Software’s Doom: The Dark Ages deep dive certainly stole the show for Engadget. It’s billed as the biggest Doom game ever, but it’s also more focused than any other installment in the franchise — other than the original Doom, perhaps. The Dark Ages is a tanky romp through a medieval, cosmic Hell, starring an incredibly beefy Slayer and featuring three basic inputs: shield saw, melee and gun. Doom: The Dark Ages is due out on May 15 for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, including Game Pass.
Read more: Doom: The Dark Ages hits PC, PS5 and Xbox on May 15
And that was that — a pretty great start to 2025 for Xbox, though the eagle-eyed among you may have realized that all bar South of Midnight are coming to Sony’s PlayStation as well as Microsoft’s consoles and PC. You can relive the full showcase below, or watch a 72-second recap below that.
