Original Story: Xbox Developer Direct is right around the corner now, having been confirmed by Microsoft last month, and attention is quickly turning to predicting just what might show up at Xbox's annual January showcase in a few weeks' time. And, as per usual, reporter Jez Corden has put out a big predictions piece that teases some of what could happen at the event, including what sounds like a bit of a surprise from Team Green.
We'll caveat this by saying that this isn't a full-on report by the Windows Central writer, and he even adds his own disclaimer of "I'm not sure exactly what will be shown there this year (yet)". However, Corden certainly has his sources, and he goes on to claim that "the four pillar franchises seem highly likely" (Fable, Forza, Gears, Halo), whilst also mentioning that he's heard something a little more adventurous may show up as well.
"Microsoft has a lot in the chamber it can fire off potentially in the coming months, but the headliners are set: Fable, Gears of War: E-Day, Halo Campaign Evolved, and Forza Horizon 6. [...] Microsoft will show off at least some of these at the January Xbox Developer_Direct show, which has become an annualized tone-setting event for Xbox's yearly line-up. While I'm not sure exactly what will be shown there this year (yet), it seems the four pillar franchises seem highly likely — although I have heard one of Microsoft's more intrepid teams may be ready to show off what it has been baking."
That last point is particularly interesting because — as we mentioned recently here at Pure Xbox — Dev Direct always contains a surprise, so could this be it? And equally, what title could one of Xbox's "more intrepid teams" have been "baking" for this month's show? It's really hard to predict that, but it definitely has us intrigued for the event this month.
Obviously, the four biggies are really exciting as well; particularly Forza Horizon 6 and Gears of War: E-Day because we've seen so little on those two games in particular so far. As both us and Corden have mentioned, this info is by no means confirmed or anything, but it's sounding like Xbox may have some big guns — and a surprise or two — saved for Developer Direct 2026.
