After a Relatively Quiet The Game Awards, Microsoft Says It Has a Packed Xbox Developer Direct Coming in January 2026

Microsoft has confirmed plans for a significant Xbox Developer Direct showcase in January 2026 after a relatively quiet The Game Awards.

While Microsoft-owned Blizzard announced the next Diablo 4 expansion, and we got news that South of Midnight is coming to PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2, fans saw nothing of the new Fable, Forza, Gears of War, or Halo games confirmed to be coming out in 2026.

But in an interview with Variety, Microsoft president of game content and studios Matt Booty promised big things are coming next month.

“I can’t share exactly what’s there, but we’ve got a lot of stuff that we’re shipping next year. In fact, usually Dev Direct is about highlighting what’s coming up for the year ahead. This year, we’ve got more stuff coming up than we can fit in one show,” Booty teased.

“So I will tell you that Playground Games is going to be in the Dev Direct, but we’ll have more stuff next year to ship than we can fit into one Dev Direct show in January, which is a good place to be.”

So, what can we expect? If Playground Games is in the Dev Direct, it seems likely we’ll get a closer look at Forza Horizon 6 and, potentially, the next Fable game, both of which are in the works at the UK studio. Beyond that, perhaps we’ll see more of Gears of War: E-Day and Halo: Campaign Evolved, both of which are confirmed 2026 releases.

But, also based on Booty’s comments, perhaps Microsoft will follow up January’s Dev Direct with showcases that focus on individual games, just to make sure they get enough time in the spotlight.

“It’s going to be a real banner year for the brand and a banner year for some of our biggest franchises to show up across the industry,” Booty continued.

Perhaps we’ll also hear more on Microsoft’s hardware plans, which include a next-gen console that sounds a lot like a PC.

Be sure to check out everything announced at The Game Awards 2025 for more, as well as the winners list in full.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].