With just two more days until the premiere of the Developer Direct showcase, an Xbox executive reiterated what viewers and gamers should expect from the show. Their point was made on Twitter via a reply, where they confirmed that players should keep any outstanding expectations in check ahead of the show from Xbox and Bethesda.The broadcast will air just a few days after Microsoft announced a massive wave of layoffs. The layoffs were felt across the board and had an impact on Xbox Game Studios, as well as Bethesda and 343 Industries. The layoffs totaled around 5% of Microsoft's workforce, and Xbox leader Phil Spencer stated that the impacts were part of a long-term plan across the company, but could not get into the specifics of what some of those plans entailed. With the FTC and EU regulatory panels already scrutinizing Microsoft's planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard, only time will tell how much the layoffs impact those decisions.Ahead of the Developer Direct broadcast, Xbox's VP of Games Marketing Aaron Greenberg replied to a tweet from Parris Lilly of Kinda Funny that stated why Xbox fans should keep their expectations in check. Greenberg then stated, "How many times can I like this Tweet?" before quote-tweeting an Xbox Wire post about the show. Greenberg then stated that one of the reasons for their statement and clarification about the Xbox Wire was to be as transparent about the broadcast ahead of time.
The Xbox Developer Direct will air on Wednesday, January 25, starting at 12 PM Pacific, on the Xbox Twitch and YouTube channels. According to Microsoft, it will have a runtime of approximately 43 minutes and will feature updates from four games that were previously announced or confirmed. The four games that will be shown during the show will be the next entry in the Forza Motorsport series, Mojang's Minecraft Legends, and two different experiences from the Bethesda family of developers. Arkane Studios, the developers of Dishonored, Wolfenstein, and Deathloop, will have additional footage to show from Redfall, a new first-person shooter that is slated to release within the first half of 2023 on PC and Xbox Series X/S. Finally, ZeniMax Online Studios will briefly show the next expansion for The Elder Scrolls Online. Immediately following the Developer Direct, the team at The Elder Scrolls Online will have a separate and full broadcast that will go into more detail about where in Tamriel players will be headed later this year.
Despite the rough start to the year for Microsoft, the Developer Direct will show viewers a taste of what Microsoft has planned for the Xbox platform in 2023. Whether the reception to Microsoft's take on Nintendo Direct and PlayStation State of Play will be a hit or a miss with the audience remains to be seen.