Xbox Developer Direct 2024 was a huge success and fans loved the projects that were presented. Among the known ones, we had Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, the Indiana Jones game, and two other titles. Fans were ecstatic to see the gameplay and the release date finally revealed for these long-awaited games. This piece will go through everything we know from the presentation hosted by Microsoft’s gaming brand.
Xbox Developer Direct 2024: Everything That Was Revealed
There was a lot of content showcased at the Xbox Developer Direct 2024. Fans were the most excited about the Indiana Jones game along with Avowed because of its novel concept. None of the announcements were disappointing as fans got what they wanted. Aside from gameplay and other information, we got release windows for some games and concrete release dates for the others.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
Ninja Theory’s greatest work yet is also going to be Xbox’s biggest contender for Game of the Year. Senua returns and has made peace with who she was in the past. In a new light, she begins to explore 10th Century Iceland which the developers have promised to keep as authentic as possible. Senua fights Draugar in the video and fans get to see how a person with psychosis deals with the horrors inside and outside.
In addition, we also got confirmation about the game’s binaural and spatial audio which will make the experience lifelike. These features will make it feel like players are in Senua’s head, experiencing the story for themselves. Ninja Theory is teaming up with Heilung, a Scandinavian folk band to create the score for this game.
Finally, the reveal for the gameplay ended with the release date showing May 21st, 2024. Senua’s Saga will be a Day One release for the Xbox Game Pass. In addition, it will only be available digitally for the Xbox X/S and PC.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Next up on the list we have Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. We got thirteen minutes of gameplay footage from the presentation along with developer insights about the project. Wolfenstein Developer MachineGames is in charge of making the game in association with Lucasfilm Games and Bethesda. Our first look at Indy saw him looking just like Harrison Ford. We also got to know he will be voiced by Troy Baker.
The game is set in between the Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade. Known locations like The Vatican and the Pyramids of Egypt will be explorable in this game. The game will be set in the first-person perspective and it also features puzzle solving. In certain scenes, it pulled back to the third-person perspective.
In addition to Indy, we saw an investigative reporter known as Gina and the new villain of the franchise, Emmerich Voss. The iconic whip was also seen in the game along with a plethora of other weapons like torches and guns.
The game will come out exclusively for the Xbox X/S and PC. The release date hasn’t been revealed yet but it will launch in 2024.
Ara: History Untold
Ara: History Untold is another gem that Xbox showed us at the conference. Oxide Games’ grand strategy genre game as the studio shared its key insights of the game. In addition to that, they also revealed that the game is played in real time. Players do not have to wait for other players to continue forward with their actions.
The game is set on an alternate earth called the Living World. This world is affected by the decisions you make in real time and according to the expansion brought forth by the players, the world will thrive. There are tons of wildlife around that is dangerous for the players and also other dangerous threats around the bend. The game will be released only for the PC for the Xbox Game Pass in Fall 2024. However, the concrete release date for the game is unknown.
Avowed
One of the biggest announcements for this year, Avowed is a fantasy action RPG. The director Gabriel Paramo walked the audience through the gameplay and talked about the combat system. The game allows players to cast spells and use melee weaponry at the same time, almost like the Dishonored games. There will be side quests in the game called Skatterskarp.
The presentation also highlights the dialogue system of the game along with its superb voice acting. This is no doubt going to be one of the bigger releases for the Xbox this year. The game will have tons of areas such as deserts, forests, biomes, volcanoes, and more. It comes out as a Day One release for the Xbox Game Pass. It releases for the Xbox X/S and PC in Fall 2024.
Visions of Mana
A surprise entry for this year, Visions of Mana broke into the presentation as a Square Enix production. It will be the first Mana game that will come out for the Xbox. In addition, it is the first Mana title after 15 years of hiatus. The game introduces new and old creatures from the previous games and a special focus is placed on the game’s soundtrack.
In fact, most of the presentation highlighted the game’s music. However, we did get a hint of combat which will be a mix of ground and aerial battles. In conclusion, the game will release in Summer 2024 for the Xbox X/S and PC.
Additional Announcements
In addition to these announcements, we have some updates for already-established games. While the Season of Construct for Diablo IV will come out on January 23, The Elder Scrolls Online 2024’s global reveal wowed fans. This reveal introduced fans to new zones, storylines, weapons, armor, and much more.
