On Thursday, Xbox has pulled back the curtain on the previously announced Xbox Developer Direct, showcasing new details on four Xbox offerings for 2025.
The first Xbox Developer Direct for 2025 is here, and Microsoft pulled out all the stops for its biggest upcoming releases. After announcing earlier in the month that the Direct would happen today, Xbox mentioned it would showcase three already announced titles and one surprise for fans—a reveal that had not been shared before today. The 2023 Developer Direct is known for surprising gamers with the “shadow drop” of Tango Gameworks’ Hi-Fi Rush, which immediately gained a cult following as fans could play it right after its reveal.
This time, the Xbox Developer Direct aims to bring gamers everywhere new details about the upcoming Xbox catalogue of titles, bridging the gap between developers and players. Compulsion Games’ South of Midnight, Sandfall Interactive’s Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and id Software’s DOOM: The Dark Ages shared new details, and Xbox unveiled a new NINJA GAIDEN 4 announcement to kick everything off. All the details can be seen below.
Xbox Developer Direct 2025 Highlights
NINJA GAIDEN 4
The first title shown at the Xbox Developer Direct was Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja’s newest entry in the flagship action series, Ninja Gaiden 4. Crisp 4K visuals were on full display, with the return of Ryu Hayabusa confirmed. While the high-octane, limb-removing action embraces the series’ roots with the return of mainstay Ryu Hayabusa, a new protagonist has been confirmed with a whole new storyline. The new protagonist hails from the Raven Clan, a direct rival of the Hayabusa Clan, and the discourse between Ryu and Yakumo will be expanded on in-game.
The story of Ninja Gaiden 4 involves two protagonists and two playstyles. Ryu plays very similar to past entries, while Yakumo can use dual-wielded katanas and slide along rails with new traversal options. Yakumo can deploy the Ninja Nue Style to make short work of enemy hordes. Exhilarating finishing moves, called obliteration techniques, can be performed by both ninjas, marking a return to form after the over 10-year hiatus Ninja Gaiden has taken since Ninja Gaiden 3 launched in 2012.
Aside from the new protagonists and storyline, the team at Platinum Games is keeping other details close to the chest. Team Ninja’s Ninja Gaiden 4, revealed at the Xbox Developer Direct, aims to stay true to the titles before it while innovating combat with the dual-protagonist approach.
Ninja Gaiden 4 will launch in the fall of 2025 for Xbox Series S/X. In the meantime, Team Ninja has released Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, an upscaled version of Ninja Gaiden 2, available to play today on Xbox Game Pass.
South of Midnight
Next up was Compulsion Games with their new title South of Midnight. What starts off with a hurricane that separates Hazel and her Mother, leaves Hazel to discover she has powers that shift the world into the surreal. These powers expose creatures that only existed in Folk Tales into real life occurrences. Hazel’s equipped with mystical elements as well as parkour abilities to traverse the world. As Hazel progresses on her journey, she will refine her skills to make her more useful in combat as Compulsion Games explains combat is no joke.
South of Midnight features a compelling 3rd person-action combat scenario utilizing parrying, dodging and of course, returning offence on adversaries. As each combat encounter progresses, the background music reaches new heights, immersing the player into the hero’s journey.
Each environment in South of Midnight is based on the mythical creatures that are forced to inhabit the area, which serve as the penultimate meeting at the end of each area. A handcrafted stop-motion animation style allows the South of Midnight inspiration on folklore settings to feel pulled directly from the old storybooks themselves.
From Appalachian peaks to southern swamps, Hazel can explore a myriad of locations in search of her Mother. Fans will be able to explore South of Midnight when it launches day one on Xbox Game Pass on April 8.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was next. Sandfall Interactive’s title started development over four years ago with a unique hook. Sandfall Entertainment places the heart of the story at the centre of existential dread in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. How the characters stay hopeful and move forward while struggling with feelings of loss creates a weighty atmosphere for players joining the expedition.
Each character in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has their own motivations. Interactions between characters are confrontational and raw, stemming from the differences in motivation they all struggle with, and Sandfall Entertainment rolled out the red carpet for its cast of characters. Everyone has their own story arc in Expedition 33. The locations and design of the world are inspired by the Art Deco style of France’s Belle Époque era, adding a steampunk-like aesthetic to the stylish graphical design.
Expedition 33 features a rich “reactive turn-based” combat system that can also incorporate real-time elements, rewarding players who prefer that playstyle. Each character can be customized and built according to the player’s preferences, with each build retaining viability during gameplay. This ensures that each player who takes on Expedition 33 will have a unique experience, adding to the real-life narrative crossover (no two playthroughs will be the same).
Extraterrestrial beings called Gestrals populate the landscape, and one of them—regarded as “the strongest”—will help the player traverse the world. Giving this particular Gestral key items increases its abilities, and this “cuddly companion,” as Sandfall Interactive refers to it, can take players almost anywhere, a necessity for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s complete open-world map loaded with hidden levels and side quests.
Sandfall Interactive’s Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 will launch on April 24, and will be available on Xbox Game Pass day one.
DOOM: The Dark Ages
The last title shown at the Xbox Developer Direct 2025 is DOOM: The Dark Ages. All the previous systems in DOOM have been added to The Dark Ages, including crafting, executions and the heavy metal soundtrack (composed by Finishing Move) fans have come to expect. You are the superweapon in a medieval war against hell, and Dark Ages serves as a prequel to DOOM 2016, making The Dark Ages the perfect entry ramp for newcomers to DOOM.
Instead of the incredible acrobatics experienced in DOOM Eternal, DOOM: The Dark Ages puts the players behind the visor of a more tanky Doom Slayer, where standing and fighting is the name of the game. Equipped with a new shield-saw, players can block and channel their inner Captain America and throw the shield at adversaries.
The Doom Slayer can also deploy three new melee weapons when beating down enemies, including an iron flail to hit demons with crunching blows. But DOOM: The Dark Ages is all about the guns, with the mission statement “only in DOOM” driving the slayer forward through the demon menace. iD Software has made DOOM: The Dark Ages more accessible with in-game speed sliders, and difficulty options to toy with tailoring the experience.
Fans can finally pilot their own towering building-sized mech and chain-gun equipped glider, to wreak havoc and traverse the region more efficiently, considered the largest DOOM sandbox map ever created. Players will be allowed to explore locations that explore the Doom Slayer’s past and history, and these locations are of course loaded with secrets and treasures lurking around every corner including new abilities to help dismember the opposition.
Fans will be able to jump into the latest Doom Slayer power fantasy when DOOM: The Dark Ages launches May 15 2025 for Xbox Series S/X, PS5, and PC.
That wraps up everything shown at the Xbox Developer Direct 2025. Fans curious for more info regarding these titles can visit the official Xbox site for more announcements.
