Xbox Developer Direct 2025: Ninja Gaiden 4 Announced, Doom: The Dark Ages Gets Release Date and More

Microsoft held its Xbox Developer Direct 2025 showcase on Friday, sharing details about its upcoming first-party games and bringing some new announcements. Bethesda's first-person shooter Doom: The Dark Ages finally received a release date, and so did Compulsion Games' action-adventure title, South of Midnight. Both games also showed off new gameplay footage and shared pre-order details across supported platforms. Developer Sandfall Interactive also revealed the release date for their upcoming turn-based RPG, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Finally, at the Developer Direct showcase, Team Ninja and Platinum Games announced it was working on the next Ninja Gaiden title, set to release in Fall 2025 across Xbox, PC and PS5. Ninja Gaiden 4 will be the first mainline entry in the beloved series in over a decade, after Ninja Gaiden 3 was released in 2012. The studio also announced Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, a remastered version of the original, out now across PC, PS5 and Xbox Series S/X.

Here's everything that was announced at Xbox Developer Direct 2025 on Thursday:

Doom: The Dark Ages Launch Date Confirmed

First revealed at last year's packed Xbox Games Showcase, Doom: The Dark Ages finally received a confirmed release date at Xbox Developer Direct on Wednesday. Id Software confirmed that the long-awaited follow-up to Doom Eternal will launch May 15, 2025, across PC, Xbox Series S/X and PS5, with day one release on Game Pass.

In a developer deep dive, id Software shared extensive details about the game's combat design, exploration and story. Said to be the most ambitious Doom yet, the game will serve as a prequel to 2016's Doom and Doom Eternal and will be set in a dark fantasy/ sci-fi world.

Players will be encouraged to stand their ground and fight bigger and meaner demons, with the Doom Slayer now playing like a tank. To help players defend themselves and attack back, the game will equip them with a shield saw and plenty of medieval weaponry, in addition to the game's beefy guns. The game is also now up for pre-order across the Microsoft store and Steam on PC, Xbox and PlayStation storefronts.

South of Midnight Gets Release Date

Another Xbox first-party title received release date confirmation at Developer Direct. Compulsion Games' South of Midnight, first revealed at the Xbox Games Showcase in 2023, will release on PC and Xbox Series S/X on April 8, 2025. The game will also be available on Game Pass at launch.

The developers also released a new story trailer for the game, detailing the characters and the Southern Gothic setting. South of Midnight is now available for pre-order as well, and those who pre-purchase the Premium Edition will get five-day early access starting April 3.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Release Date Announced

First revealed at last year's Xbox Games Showcase, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 received an update at the Developer Direct showcase. The turn-based RPG arrives on PC, PS5, Xbox Series S/X and Game Pass on April 24, 2025.

The developer also shared a new release date trailer, showcasing more of the gameplay and the story. Pre-orders for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 are now live, as well.

Ninja Gaiden 4 Announced

In addition to the release date updates on already announced games, the Xbox Developer Direct kept a surprise announcement for its final update. The beloved Ninja Gaiden franchise is finally making a return after over a decade since the last mainline title in the series was released. Team Ninja and Platinum Games announced Ninja Gaiden 4, with Xbox Game Studios publishing the title following Microsoft's partnership with Koei Tecmo, which owns the Ninja Gaiden IP.

The brand-new mainline entry will arrive in Fall 2025 across PC, PS5 and Xbox Series S/X. Ninja Gaiden 4 will also be available on Game Pass at launch. The game will see the return of series protagonist, master ninja Ryu Hayabusa. Ninja Gaiden 4, however, will get a new protagonist, Yakumo. Team Ninja also debuted a trailer that showcased fast paced and brutal melee combat, exploration and traversal, and a dark and gritty world.

Ninja Gaiden 2 Black Released

In addition to revealing Ninja Gaiden 4, Koei Tecmo announced Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, a remaster of 2008's Ninja Gaiden 2, featuring graphical improvements. The game is out now on PC, PS5, Xbox Series S/X and Game Pass.

In an interview with Xbox Wire, Fumihiko Yasuda, head of Team Ninja and Ninja Gaiden 4 producer at Koei Tecmo Games, talked about announcing Ninja Gaiden 4 and releasing Ninja Gaiden 2 Dark simultaneously.

“This simultaneous announcement and same-day release alongside Ninja Gaiden 4 might have caught some people by surprise," he said. "The biggest reason for developing NINJA GAIDEN 2 Black was to address the concerns of core fans who might be wondering, ‘What's going to happen to Ryu Hayabusa?' We also wanted to give players something to enjoy as they wait for the release of Ninja Gaiden 4. We chose Ninja Gaiden 2 because it stands as one of the most solid action games in the series. We added ‘Black' to the title to signal to fans that this is the definitive version, much like Ninja Gaiden Black was for the first game.”