Xbox has confirmed that it will once again be having a Developer Direct showcase with the first deep dive into Fable and and Forza Horizon 6 planned for January 22.
Just like Nintendo typically does a major Direct in February, June, and September (ignoring last year, it had a lot going on), Xbox is making January its home as once again we'll be getting an Xbox Developer Direct this month. The news was confirmed on Xbox Wire today after Matt Booty said the company was gearing up for one.
Headlining the show is "a first extended look at Fable." After being in development at Playground Games for what seems like forever, and being totally MIA throughout 2025 – barring a delay announcement – we're finally getting a proper look at what the game is actually like.
The blog says "Devs from the Playground team will unveil the magic and mischief that awaits players in this fresh new beginning for the franchise, including a first look at some stunning new gameplay." Meanwhile the Fable Twitter account describes it as "our first deep dive into the game."
We’ve been working on Fable for a really, really long time. It’s time to show you more. Much more.Tune in to Developer_Direct at 10AM PT (6PM GMT) on 22nd Jan for our first deep dive into the game. #Fable #DeveloperDirect https://t.co/PO5cmenze6January 8, 2026
Playground Games will be pulling double duty at this show, as it is also set to "share a deep-dive on the much-anticipated Forza Horizon 6." The open world racer was announced last year with a Japan setting confirmed, but we don't know much more than that, so this will be our first time seeing what arguably the best driving game series has in store for the Japanese landscape.
Finally we'll see Pokemon developer Game Freak's "intense one-person, one-dog action RPG" Beast of Reincarnation. The game was announced last year at the Xbox Showcase, and Game Freak is set to show off "our protagonist Emma's innovative plant manipulation actions and gameplay with her canine companion, Koo."
It's also worth noting that for the past two years, Xbox Developer Directs in January have featured a surprise game drop, with Hi-Fi Rush in 2023, and Ninja Gaiden 2 Black joining the announcement of Ninja Gaiden 4 last year, so perhaps a surprise is in the cards too.
