Announcing the Xbox Game Dev Update | Spring '26

There’s always something new happening across Xbox game development, with updates, tools, and sessions from our teams and partners.

That’s why we’re starting a new show, bringing highlights directly from the teams building Xbox and sharing technical context and what it means for your work, all in one place. You’ll hear the latest updates from the people behind them, with a clearer view of what’s new and why it matters.

Our goal is to make it easier for you to stay informed, connect the dots, and understand how these changes show up in your day-to-day as a developer. It’s also a way to keep the conversation going with the community as we continue building what’s next together.

Join us for our first episode on Thursday, May 7 at 9 AM PDT / 12 PM EDT / 6 PM CEST, premiering on our YouTube channel.

What to expect in our first session:

In our first episode, we'll review updates from GDC, including: the introduction of Project Helix with Chris Charla and Jason Ronald, a roundup of the newest Xbox developer tools from Travis Bradshaw, Shawn Hargreaves' recap of the DirectX State of the Union including a deep dive into DirectStorage,  a look at what's coming in the Xbox Marketplace, and Xbox at GDC highlights from Annette Porter.

Introduction of Project Helix

Presented by: Chris Charla (GM, Portfolio & Programs) & Jason Ronald (VP, Next Generation)

Chris and Jason will walk through the details shared at GDC, offering a closer look at Project Helix and what it represents for the future of Xbox.

What does Project Helix mean for developers? It’s powered by a custom AMD-based SoC and co-designed for the next-generation of DirectX, as part of our ongoing partnership to shape the future of rendering and simulation. Project Helix will create new opportunities for you to optimize build workflows, improve performance, and iterate more efficiently. Xbox is building for what’s next and we’re inviting you to join us on that journey.

What’s New in Xbox Developer Tools

Presented by: Travis Bradshaw (Principal Product Lead)

GDC was packed to the brim with updates about new developer tools. Travis will give you an overview of everything you may have missed across all our top technical talks and an overview of what we’ve released since then, including  improvements we’ve made to speed up the Xbox developer journey, the announcement of the new PlayFab foundation mode, tools that will help you ship your game across multiple-devices, including our new Xbox PC Remote Tools, and the recently released April GDK.

DirectX State of the Union: DirectStorage and Beyond

Presented by: Shawn Hargreaves (Principal Engineering Manager)

Miss the DirectX State of the Union this year? We’re holding a special bonus session in the show for our community!

Shawn brings his full GDC session and will cover a variety of topics, including what’s new in DirectX, a deep dive into DirectStorage asset compression and streaming, batched I/O, a cross-vendor standardization update, and a look at what’s coming next for visual fidelity at scale.

Xbox Marketplace Session: What’s New

Presented by: Brady Woods (Principal Product Lead)

Brady walks through how Xbox is evolving the Marketplace — the tools that help you get your game in front of the right players and grow your business across every screen. From smarter wishlists to self-serve promotions, real-time dashboards, and storefront experiences that meet players on console, PC, mobile, and cloud.

Xbox at GDC: The Highlights

Presented by: Annette Porter (Senior PM, Dev Acceleration)

Xbox was everywhere at GDC, and Annette will take a look back at the event to cover some of our most exciting moments with the developer community.

Connect with us

While you’re getting ready for the show, subscribe to our YouTube channel, turn on notifications so you don't miss the premiere, and add the event to your calendar.

Join our community on Discord and follow along on X, Bluesky, and LinkedIn for ongoing updates.