Xbox Developer Direct 2025 - Ninja Gaiden 4 announced
Xbox has some games to show off for 2025's lineup, giving PC and Xbox fans something to look forward to, and offering a look at upcoming titles from id Software, Compulsion Games, and more. There will also be a mystery game reveal that will get announced during the livestream. So let's tune in and see what's in store.
We kick off with Koei Tecmo. We get some gameplay footage for Ninja Gaiden 4. Platinum Games will be involved with development. You can switch between two combat styles, and two main characters. The plan is to create a fair but challenging game. It'll be out this fall, as a day 1 Game Pass title, as well as PC and PS5.
Koei also has a Team Ninja game to reveal. Ninja Gaiden 2: Black. This is a remake of the 2008 Xbox 360 title It aims to modernize the original, while offering new characters and mechanics. It launches today for Xbox Series X|S and PC.
South of Midnight is next. This is a fantasy game from the developers of We Happy Few. It merges gothic style with deep south culture and folklore. Combat is 3D action, with certain magical abilities that impact how you fight enemies. The cutscenes are inspired by stop motion animation. Launches April 8.
Sandfall Interactive's team discusses how they created their latest game. They want to take a classic genre of game that people love and innovate upon it. They chose to create an epic RPG. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is about dealing with loss and grief. They want to put a lot into world and story building. It has a reactive turn based combat system. They found that initially, their earlier versions of the game were too difficult for playtesters, so they've balanced the difficulty and found a better formula for the gameplay and character customization. Each character has a specific ability, and you can build their stats out how you want. The game will be out April 24 on Xbox, day 1 on Game Pass.
Onward to id and DOOM: The Dark Ages. This is a prequel to DOOM 2016. The design for DOOM Eternal was to feel like a fighter jet, but in this game, you'll instead feel like you're playing as an iron tank. They've gone back to make some older gameplay elements more important, while still innovating on the formula. Strafing to avoid is important as is blocking outright, and you'll be in brutal heavy combat and a melee system. They've gone out of their way to create some of the most insane weapons yet. The mission statement is to make a game that could only be done with the DOOM franchise. You can also pilot a huge mech and cybernectic dragon to control. Launches May 15.
That's a wrap.