Microsoft are kicking 2026 off in just the right way with their annual developer direct, which sees Beast of Reincarnation and the double feature from Playground Games with Fable and Forza Horizon 6. Let’s break it all down in the XboxEra Podcast Episode 296!
Jon, Nick and Jesse return to talk about all the latest in video games! We’ve been playing a few things this week, but for the most part, we’re not actually allowed to talk about any of them – which is a bit of a bummer! (Don’t worry, we’ll share more very soon!) In the meantime though, there’s plenty to talk about.
Xbox have announced the 2026 Developer_Direct, which is going to give us deep dives on Fable, Forza Horizon 6 and Gamefreak’s Beast of Reincarnation. Jez Corden over at Windows Central shared his lengthy article all about Xbox in 2026, which dives into what’s happening next with Fallout, Ninja Theory and Wolfenstein.
In news, Microsoft CCO pushes back on layoff rumours, and following the New Game+ showcase, Avowed and Towerborne are set to arrive on PlayStation 5. The first Game Pass drop of the year brings us some new games, from Star Wars: Outlaws, MIO: Memories in Orbit and Quarantine Zone: The Last Check – so plenty to look forward too! (But nothing is going to beat the launch of the AI powered SLOPBOX 365!)
Support Our Team
XboxEra is a community-first, community funded publication. If you value what we do, and want to have a direct say in what we cover, consider supporting us directly on Patreon.
All you need to do is head on over to patreon.com/xboxera and for less than a cup of coffee a month, you’ll help keep this publication alive. As a bonus, you’ll find that we create more content than many other Patreon supported publications, and we give more back in return.
So go on, do something awesome.
Timestamps:
00:00:00 – Intro and Hi everyone!
00:04:20 – What have we been playing? Keep Driving
00:11:10 – Republic of Gamers Xbox Ally X Windows 11 Handheld PC Gaming Device
00:12:30 – Fortnite
00:14:50 – Kat is playing Indiana Jones
00:16:45 – The Dev Direct is finally confirmed
00:22:12 – Beast of Reincarnation
00:29:40 – Forza Horizon 6
00:50:55 – Fable
01:06:21 – Superchat about Playgrounds secret 3rd project?
01:07:25 – Back to Fable
01:11:15 – Will there be a 5th game?
01:14:17 – Tom Henderson spoils the 4th game
01:16:25 – Where will all this go?
01:19:46 – Game Pass January Wave 1
01:24:00 – Buy Console Wars the card game!
01:26:20 – Jez Corden writes an in depth article on the future of Xbox
01:53:00 – Avowed and Towerborne coming to PlayStation 5
01:58:14 – Microsoft laying off tens of thousands?!?
02:07:00 – Switch 2 sales down?
02:14:20 – Patron Shout
02:20:16 – Community Question #1: JD – I think Spider-man is coming to Xbox
02:22:50 – Community Question #2: Tiberius Monk – Name a Game or Movie series where you like the least popular entry
02:39:33 – Community Question #3: J F0LEY – What from Jez’s article are you most excited for?
02:45:15 – Community Question #4: itzFinn – What surprises do you hope to so see for the Direct and for the Xbox 25th Anniversary
02:50:08 – XOBX SLOPBOX 365
02:51:57 – Community Question #5: PoderickPayne – Jesse, what habits have you picked up in Florida?
02:55:50 – Community Question #6: DidactBRHU3 – Will Fable release before Gears E-Day?
02:59:09 – Community Question #7: Hytham G – Would you fight Happy Gilmore?
03:04:30 – Community Question #8: 99ruken – Xbox acquisition question
03:08:30 – Community Question #9: Good Old Collingwood – You played Runescape?
03:10:30 – We launch the SLOPBOX 365!
03:26:55 – Slop for now!
