Developer_Direct 2023: Xbox & Bethesda 2023 Show Overview

The first sneak peek we got was from within Mojang Studios. Dennis Ries (executive producer of Minecraft Legends), granted us a warm welcome and gave an insight into how PvP will work in the upcoming action-strategy game. Play a story-driven campaign with up-to three friends, or engage in PvP combat that pits two teams of four against each other in a game made in collaboration with Blackbird Interactive, a development team with a background in strategy games.

Promoting a cooperative experience where no one player can win by themselves — you must win as a group, players will wander across procedurally generated maps, much like Campaign mode. Something for everyone; combat oriented players can attack the other base + piglins, but explorers can go and gather resources. Players who prefer to build can use the resources gathered by their team to build up their base.

Minecraft Legends will launch on 18th April 2023 for Windows and consoles.

Cars. Racing. Racing Cars. Meet with Chris Esaki, who introduced us to the next generation of Forza Motorsport. The most technically advanced racing game ever made. Named just Forza Motorsport, the title sports over 500 cars, where each vehicle is made to feel more real than ever before, and to look even better. Cars have their own sounds, and each car will have its own dynamic soundscape depending on which parts you have in the car. Audio enhancements will make players feel more immersed than ever, and current gen technology allows for 10x more graphical details than possible before. 

Forza Motorsport will release later in 2023 for Windows and Xbox Series.

From the makers of The Evil Within and Ghostwire: Tokyo comes this high-octane, comic book art-style hack ‘n’ slash. With the studio mostly famed for horror titles, Hi-Fi Rush is a stark step away from what was expected from the team. At its core, Hi-Fi Rush is a rhythm-action game, where each of your moves and attacks help make up the soundtrack; the better you flow with the beat, the better your attacks hit.

Play as Chai, a wannabe rockstar and victim of an usual corporate experiment that leaves him with the ability of sensing the rhythm of the world around him. Whilst your attacks will automatically sync up with the beat, timing your attacks to land on the rhythm by yourself will reward players both musically and mechanically. Everything moves to the beat — the player, the enemies, cutscenes, even the environment itself. 

Hi-Fi Rush is available now for Windows and Xbox Series right now.

Up next, we were shown a short teaser for the next major expansion coming to The Elder Scrolls Online. Named Necrom, the expansion adds one of the most requested features for the game; a brand new class with the Arcanist. Necrom will bring players to Eastern Morrowind, a realm not visited since 1994. Meet new characters, reunite with old ones, and explore the tale of the return of a well-known daedric prince.

The Elder Scrolls Online is available now, and Necrom will launch on 5th June 2023 for Windows, with a console release following on 20th June 2023. In wake of the announcement of Necrom, all past chapters of TESO have been made free to explore for a limited time to owners of the base game.

The cooperative vampire shooter that was announced during the 2021 E3 show, Redfall has been a hotly anticipated title since its reveal. We were given an overview of some of the gameplay loops found within Redfall in a cinematic montage narrated by Arkane Austin creative director Ricardo Bare. Following the mantra of believing the world of a story is just as important as the story itself, meticulous care has been put into building the world of Redfall. Safe areas around the island act as home bases, and we are given an inside look at a fire station — one such safe house.

From here, we were given a deep dive into the gameplay we can expect from Redfall, as we were treated to an up close look at one of the types of vampires we will be up against. Named ‘Shrouds’, these vampires use darkness and shadows to evade and disorient their prey, forcing players to be more tactical in their approach. Outside of the main story, Redfall offers a myriad of encounters that the more completionist or exploitative player can enjoy, either alone or with friends.

Redfall is set to launch on 2nd May 2023 for Windows and Xbox Series.