Microsoft has announced the return of its Xbox Developer Direct next Thursday, January 18. The presentation will provide updates on several of its most anticipated upcoming games.

The Developer Direct will air at 12 p.m. Pacific/3 p.m. Eastern. It will spotlight a few of Microsoft’s various first-party studios, which will provide an “in-depth look” at their games. Specifically, the Xbox Wire post lists Indiana Jones by Machine Games, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II by Ninja Theory, Avowed by Obsidian, and Ara: History Untold by Oxide Games as the highlighted projects. 

Indiana Jones will receive its first gameplay trailer and feature 10 minutes of gameplay with developer commentary revealing the game's story and setting. Avowed and Ara: History Untold will receive a deep dive into their gameplay as well. For Hellblade II, Xbox is touting a behind-the-scenes look at Ninja Theory's Cambridge studio where the team will provide insight into how its bringing the sequel to life. It's unclear if this will include any new gameplay footage.

Microsoft also states that Direct will not include any updates on games from Activision Blizzard but to expect more news from those teams later this year. Microsoft officially completed its acquisition of Activision last year. 

The Direct will run for one hour. Shortly after it concludes, ZeniMax Online will host The Elder Scrolls Online Global Reveal at 1 p.m. PT/4 p.m. ET.

Xbox has several big projects we haven’t seen in a while, so it’ll be nice to learn more about even some of them. Indiana Jones was announced in 2021 with only a teaser video and we’ve yet to see gameplay. Avowed, Obsidian’s first-person fantasy RPG, was revealed in 2020 and is slated to launch this year. The game’s latest trailer premiered at last year’s Game Awards. 

Ara: History Untold is a turn-based strategy RPG that debuted during a 2022 Xbox Showcase. Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II was the first Xbox Series X/S game announced back in 2019 and most recently popped up during the last Game Awards.

Kaitlyn Dever has been officially announced as The Last of Us TV adaptation's Abby. Kaitlyn Dever is perhaps best known for her role in 2019's Booksmart, but video game fans may know her best as the voice of Cassie Drake, seen at the end of Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. Dever was also an early fan cast for the role of Ellie when casting rumors for The Last of Us TV show first began swirling. She also reportedly read for the role of Ellie before it ultimately went to Bella Ramsey.

We're thrilled that Kaitlyn Dever is joining @TheLastOfUsHBO Season 2 as Abby!

We can't wait to see her journey unfold on TV. ? https://t.co/BZRimbXww6

— Naughty Dog (@Naughty_Dog) January 9, 2024

Abby is a crucial character from The Last of Us Part II, but to say much more than that would spoil major elements of the plot that it's fair to assume many TV viewers are not yet aware of. How Dever will differentiate from the video game version of Abby, performed by Laura Bailey (who had a cameo in the first season of the show as a nurse), remains to be seen.

Despite the second season of the show likely not airing until 2025, The Last of Us has already had a strong 2024, raking in eight Emmy awards. For more, read Game Informer's review of The Last of Us and then read Game Informer's review of The Last of Us Part II.