Everything Announced During The Xbox & Bethesda Developer Direct 2023

As announced a few weeks ago, Xbox held its first event to talk about upcoming projects this morning. Running for roughly 40 minutes, the Xbox & Bethesda Developer Direct ended up being a tight livestream focused on a handful of games, allowing each time to breathe instead of sprinting through dozens of 30-second teasers. In total, we got a look at five upcoming games, one of which was stealthily released today. So, let’s go through the Direct and see how Xbox kicked off 2023.

Here are all of the announcements made during the Xbox & Bethesda Developer Direct 2023:

Minecraft Legends

First, we got a new look at Minecraft Legends, the upcoming action-strategy game from Mojang Studios. Originally announced during the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase, this new breakdown explained how the game’s PvP mode will work. Two teams of four players will work together to seek out and destroy the other team’s base while also trying to defend their own. As demonstrated in the gameplay, players will be required to explore the randomly-generated overworld in search of resources and mobs that can strengthen their chances against the opposing team. The other team isn’t the only threat, as the Piglin forces from the single-player portion of the game will also be wandering around the map, attacking both sides.

Rounding out this showing, we got the announcement that Minecraft Legends will release on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Switch and PC on April 18. The game will also be available on Xbox Game Pass on day one.

Forza Motorsport

Also announced during last year’s Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase, Forza Motorsport is the next instalment in the long-running racing sim series by Turn 10 Studios. While we didn’t get a set release date here, what we did get was a good peek under the hood at what looks to be an excellent racing game. This presentation confirmed that Motorsport will launch with over 500 cars and over 800 customisable upgrades. The game will also feature 20 locations, including five brand-new locales like the Kyalami track from South Africa. Advancements in lighting, physics and car models are shown in impressive detail during the presentation, making for some truly gorgeous laps and crashes.

Hi-Fi- Rush

The biggest surprise from the Direct came next, with the announcement of the brand new IP, Hi-Fi Rush. Coming from Tango Gameworks, the team behind The Evil Within and Ghostwire: Tokyo, this rhythm-action game is somewhat left-field but very welcome all the same. Featuring a bright, cel-shaded art style and a loud and optimistic protagonist named Chai, Hi-Fi Rush has players taking on a group of villainous corporate overlords with a set of flashy combat abilities that are strengthened by matching hits to the beat. This would be a cool announcement on its own, but the biggest surprise came when the game launched…today. You can pick up Hi-Fi Rush on Xbox Series X|S and PC right now. It’s also available on Game Pass, so get around it.

The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom

The world of ESO continues to grow with the next chapter, Necrom. This new content drop is coming in June, introducing a new playable class called the Arcanist, a new area to explore in Eastern Morrowind and plenty of new characters enemies and quests. It was also announced that all of the previous chapters will be available to all players for a limited time, so now is a great time to jump into the MMO.

Redfall

The showcase wrapped up with an extended look at Arkane Studios’ upcoming co-op shooter, Redfall. The ten-minute gameplay walkthrough gives us our best look at gameplay yet, with the player dipping their toe into multiple missions, using various characters and abilities. We get a good look at the RPG elements, customisation options and plenty of action. We finally got a release date as well, with the game set to launch on Xbox Series X|S and PC on May 2, with the game heading to Game Pass on day one.

If you have a spare 45 minutes and you’re keen on watching the entire showcase, you can go right ahead and watch it here:

All in all, this was a very tidy little livestream that was filled with some solid trailers and walkthroughs, with a few surprises mixed in for good measure.

What did you think of the Developer Direct? What was your favourite announcement? Let us know in the comments or on our social media.