The Game Awards 2025 is now behind us, and that means no more showcases for the rest of the year. Gaming fans won"t have to wait too long though, as Microsoft is already planning its next Xbox event. We already have some hints at what can appear at this show as well.
Speaking to Variety, Microsoft"s president of game content and studios, Matt Booty, revealed that the company has one of its Developer Direct presentations lined up to go live in January 2026. This had been the reason for not having much to show at The Game Awards, with only an announcement about the next Diablo IV expansion landing during it. Keep in mind that it"s not exactly cheap to get a spot on Geoff Keighley"s show either.
"I can’t share exactly what’s there, but we’ve got a lot of stuff that we’re shipping next year," said Booty. "In fact, usually Dev Direct is about highlighting what’s coming up for the year ahead. This year, we’ve got more stuff coming up than we can fit in one show."
While Booty did not go into detail about what games are in the pipeline for the event, he did confirm that the developer behind its hugely popular Forza Horizon franchise will be one of the featured studios at the showcase.
"So I will tell you that Playground Games is going to be in the Dev Direct, but we’ll have more stuff next year to ship than we can fit into one Dev Direct show in January, which is a good place to be," Booty adds.
Playground Games has already confirmed that Forza Horizon 6 is coming in 2026, and it is taking players to Japan. There is a good chance of the studio giving a look at this entry during the Developer Direct. At the same time, it is also developing the Fable reboot, which currently has a 2026 release window as well. The showcase may focus on both games by the studio.
As for what else may show up, Microsoft has the Halo Campaign Evolved remake and prequel Gears of War: E-Day planned for 2026 too.