Microsoft confirms a new Xbox Developer Direct for January 2026 with Playground

Matt Booty advances the presence of Playground Games at the event.

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Xbox is already marking its calendar for 2026. Microsoft has officially confirmed that it will host a new Xbox Developer Direct in January, one of its regular events to showcase in-depth updates on its upcoming first-party projects. The announcement was made in the last few hours and comes with a first notable name.

It was Matt Booty, head of Xbox Game Studios, who dropped one of the most interesting details: Playground Games will be part of the January Developer Direct, which has automatically sparked excitement among the community.

January’s Xbox Developer Direct to Feature Playground Games

The direct mention of Playground Games is no coincidence. The British studio has been working on several high-profile projects (Fable and Forza Horizon 6), and its presence at the event suggests that we’ll see an in-depth look at one of its games, in the Developer Direct format: extended gameplay, team explanations, and development context.

Microsoft hasn’t detailed which other studios or titles will be present, but following the precedent of previous editions, the event usually focuses on showcasing already-announced games in more detail, avoiding surprise announcements and opting for transparency and a steady pace.

With this move, Xbox makes it clear that January 2026 will once again be a key month for understanding the immediate direction of its catalog, and the confirmation of Playground Games guarantees, at the very least, one of the most anticipated moments of the event. We’ll have to stay tuned in the coming weeks to learn about the rest of the participants and the exact date of the Developer Direct.