Xbox Developer_Direct ’26 Gets a Double F (for Forza and Fable)

I’m going to level with you: Speaking for me and me alone, the past couple of years of Xbox Developer_Directs haven’t really blown me away.

Xbox Developer_Direct ’24 had one title that really interested me (as noted then, Visions of Mana was more my wife’s thing, if anyone here), and that was Indiana Jones. I like Indiana Jones, but I’ve never been as into him as some people. I looked forward to the game, but the opportunity kind of passed me by to play it while it was fresh, and other stuff took precedent since.

The following year was a little better. Doom: The Dark Ages looked cool to me, despite barely ever playing Doom before, but then something happened, and suddenly I just wasn’t in the mood. Probably doesn’t help that Halo Infinite is what finally got me to say “I think I might like First Person Shooters, after all.” But even then, I haven’t really followed up on it.

I was also interested in Ninja Gaiden 4, which I still need to try. A lot of that was due to Platinum’s involvement, as the 3D Ninja Gaiden games just never grabbed me the way the originals on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) did.

I guess what I’m getting at is that while there were some neat titles announced in previous years, it mostly felt like I was settling and trying to be optimistic.

That bring us to this year. The Xbox Developer_Direct ’26.

Only half the games shown resonated with me in any real way (and to be fair, Double Fine’s Kiln looks like fun, but I really don’t do much of the online multiplayer thing), but this year?

I don’t feel like I’m settling anymore.

First up is Forza Horizon 6. I’ve been a fan of this series for years. I liked vanilla Forza, too, but Horizon has always been my jam. But now I get to come on and slam, and welcome to Japan?

I think the only way I could be happier is if they set an installment in Canada. (Fingers crossed for Forza Horizon 7 there.

Japan is a place I’ve long yearned to visit. I don’t know if I’ll ever get to go, but hey, at least this might help ease the pain in the meantime. Or maybe it’ll make it worse. I don’t know, I’m not a doctor.

That brings us to the other highlight of the show for me:

Ah, Fable. This is a series I’ve had an eye on for a while, but never really got around to playing. I remember the grandiose promises of one Peter Molyneux as he boasted about how planting an acorn would see it grow into a full tree over the course of the game, and other such stuff like that. It’s one I’ve been curious about, but never found the time for.

But here, much like with Halo Infinite, this is looking like a great jumping-on point for me, as they speak of it as a new era. And it comes from Playground Games, the same folks who make the Forza Horizon games, so they’re already good in my book.

This one seems a lot more dialogue and maybe action-driven than previous entries, if I understand them correctly. And by “action,” I don’t mean swinging swords or anything like that, but cause and effect — your actions having consequences, or perhaps yielding benefits. Stuff like that.

I mean, the others had something like that already, but this is supposed to be a lot more… granular? I mean, I didn’t play them, but the whole acorn thing didn’t exactly pan out, you know? But somehow, on modern hardware, these promises just seem more… believable, to me?

Anyway, a fresh jumping-on point for a series of which I’ve long heard many great things and always been curious about? Yeah, I’m actually eager to see more. Of course, this is also probably the most we’ve seen of it since it was announced, with some people believing it was cancelled, but that’s neither here nor there. This is now, and this is happening.

This is one time I’d say getting a double “F” is definitely a good thing.

Oh, and for those wondering, Game Freak’s Beast of Incarnation looks like it’ll be good, but it’s just not doing a whole lot for me. At least that made cropping the banner for this article easier.

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What about you, though? Did anything grab your attention at the Xbox Developer_Direct? Tell me all about it in the comments below! I’d love to hear what you have to say.

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David Oxford

David Oxford, or “LBD ‘Nytetrayn’,” as he is sometimes also known, is a freelance writer of many varied interests who resides in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. If you’re interested in hiring him, please drop him a line at david.oxford (at) nyteworks.net.

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