330°

Xbox One At GamesCom 2013: List of Microsoft's First-Party Studios Working on Untitled Projects

GamesCom 2013 is just around the corner, we expect massive showing from both Sony and Microsoft. The press conference from Sony will be completely focused on PS4 (as already confirmed by Sony exec), but what about Microsoft?, well they are not far behind and are expected to explode at GamesCom 2013.

It has been clearly hinted by them via a recent policy changes "DRM, Indie Self Publishing, No Kinect Mandatory" and more. Xbox fan base also expect to hear some new games announcement from Microsoft's first-party studios.

Here is list of Microsoft's First-Party Studios Working on Untitled Projects

Thepharaoh3947d ago (Edited 3947d ago )

Rare needs to announce something good Kameo 2 ,a new Conker ,or something that isn't Kinect.

HolyDuck3947d ago

Would kills for another Conker, like literally.

JokesOnYou3947d ago

Yeah, I've been disappointed in Rare for awhile now but to be fair it was a hard job to take on all the new Kinect games for 360. I think Rare is already on their way to delivering something great. Right now though from this list I'm much more interested in see some gameplay for Black Tusk Studios Untitled Stealth Game.

dark-hollow3947d ago

I wouldn't have too much faith in the current Rare studios.

jimbobwahey3947d ago

I wouldn't have too much faith in many Xbox exclusives really. Rare hasn't put out anything decent in a long time, and neither has Lionhead Studios either. Gears of War is on a very sharp downwards trajectory given how bad Judgment was, and the majority of Halo fans agree that Halo 4 was a huge disappointment and 343i don't really know what they're doing.

The only studio that puts out anything worthwhile is Turn 10 with the Forza franchise, and even that's not perfect considering how little new content there is in each new entry in the franchise.

Microsoft really needs to get talented teams pumping out exclusives, because their main franchises are just getting worse and worse.

dark-hollow3947d ago

One bad game for gears series doesn't mean the whole franchise is doomed. Besides, 343's halo 4 was much better than bungie's halo reach and halo ODST. lets give these guys a chance to see if halo 5 could be as good as halo 1-3, and even though halo 4 was very good on it own merits.

sobotz3947d ago

@Jimbob

Actually I prefer Halo 4 than ODST, 343i are doing a great job in their first Halo.

Gears 1-3 are fine, Gears J not really because is not made by Epic like usual.

Kayant3947d ago

@dark-hollow
In my eyes Gears is dead and am a massive gears head it has not only lost it's vision (in terms of MP) but the people that made Gears what it is have all left Epic so faith in Gears is quite low.

jimbobwahey3947d ago

The only good component of Gears Judgment was the singleplayer, which was made by People Can Fly. Epic handled the multiplayer portion of the game themselves, though, which is also the part of the game that everybody considers a huge failure. Since Epic themselves developed it, it hangs on their head. It's also worth pointing out that Gears 3 started the downward slide with the dumb decisions they made (sawn-off and retro lancer) that marked the beginning of the end. I've no doubt that any future entries in the franchise will be awful.

As for Halo, I think the franchise peaked with Reach and that 4 is awful. Crappy singleplayer, lack of firefight, multiplayer that's COD-lite. They've ruined it. I don't see why any Halo fan would be excited for the future of the franchise when we have Destiny to look forward to.

Gazondaily3947d ago (Edited 3947d ago )

@jimbo

Halo 4 was brilliant. The 'majority' of fans do not agree.

Forza looks excellent as always and represents the best of its class to many.

Dead Rising 3 looks brilliant but kids on here will, for some odd reason, mention that it was originally planned for the 360, to try and play it down. Look at the game, the sheer number of undead and the scale and scope of the map with no loading times plus smartglass support etc all working in tandem. Its a NEXT-GEN game through and through.

Titanfall- timed console exclusive maybe, but it is an incredible game

Killer Instinct- some 'gamers' are focusing on the developer and not the game, which looks incredible for any beat em up fan.

Ryse- granted, it has a lot to prove in the gameplay department but visually its stunning.

Project Spark, albeit on PC, looks incredible.

Sony's offerings, at the moment, don't really inerest me that much. Killzone, to me, has always been over-shadowed by Halo, which in my opinion is better in every department (with the exception of visuals) but the new game does look promising. Knack looks completely mediocre but Infamous looks like fun. Drive Club looks boring in comparison to Forza.

I love Planetside 2 though. Can't wait to see how it plays on the PS4.

Commandar_Shepard3947d ago

@dark-hollow, The campaign and default multiplayer maps were better in Halo 4 than Reach but the game itself had glaring flaws. Ordinance and being able to spawn with Plasma Pistols, Sticky Grenandes, and the one hit kill Boltshot broke the multiplayer.

Spartan Ops was very underwhelming and the missions were recycled sections from the campaign. 343 ruined custom games with Flood Mode, which rendered some of the most popular custom game types such as Fat Kid, Speed Halo, Duck Hunt, and Cops and Robbers unplayable. They also removed Race, which had a huge community.

The campaign itself couldn't match up at all with the original trilogy. Once you get past the pretty graphics, you'll see a short linear title with a poorly told story. I'm familiar with everything that happened in the books but most fans aren't. How are they supposed to know why the Covenant are bad again and who the Didact is if these things are never explained?

The whole game felt like it wanted to be a Call of Duty, from the perks to the linear levels to the butchering of Capture the Flag and many other things. 343 has a lot to prove with the next Halo game. Dedicated Servers are great and all but if the game's mechanics are broken, the game is simply not fun or worth playing.

UnholyLight3947d ago

@jimbobwahey

......Wuuuuuuuut??

Especially towards the second half of the Forza statement. Obvious troll is obvious. Everyone that has played Forza knows you're just attempting to pull a rabbit out of a hat but grasping at nothing.

+ Show (5) more repliesLast reply 3947d ago
iamnsuperman3947d ago (Edited 3947d ago )

We need to face facts. Rare isn't that studio any more. I see them always being a Kinect studio. If Microsoft bought the properties of Conker.... with Rare then I expect Microsoft to give it to another studio to work on. Rare is the Kinect studio (especially more relevant since they have worked on it from the beginning of the Kinect)

GodGinrai3947d ago

I agree with you about rare. damn shame, really.
I would have thought that having a "Kids and Lifestyle Entertainment" and " Playful Learning" would mean that those teams can do all the kinect/family stuff, allowing rare to become a core game studio again.

It may not be the rare of old but thats not to say, a new rare could be built on that premise. Even if it means brining in some new producers to lead rare.

Commandar_Shepard3947d ago

They still have some of the talent that made the N64 Banjo titles but nobody should expect anothe Perfect Dark or Conker from them again. I'm interested in seeing what their second team is working on.

Zeref3947d ago

Twisted Pixel is also working on a new IP.

www.oxm.co.uk/59005/twisted-p ixel-is-creating-new-ip-alongsi de-xbox-one-launch-game-lococyc le/

techuser3947d ago

Rare needs to make a Perfect Dark that doesn't suck.

Shadowsteal3947d ago

Forza Motorsport 5
Quantum Break
Halo
Ryse: Son of Rome
Titanfall ON 360 and PC
Lococycle ON PC
Dead Rising 3
Sunset Overdrive
Killer Instinct
Project Spark ON PC
Minecraft Xbox One ON PC
Crimson Dragon
Below TIMED EXCLUSIVE
Kinect Sports Rivals
Max and the Curse of Brotherhood
D4
Zoo Tycoon on 360
Fantasia: Music Evolved on 360

christocolus3947d ago (Edited 3947d ago )

This excludes rumored titles from some 2nd party devs (mistwalker studios, artoon, epic, ninja theory, playground etc).nice. Ms should pls try to focus rare and new ips at gamescom.Great work ms...great work xbox team

+ Show (5) more repliesLast reply 3947d ago
no_more_heroes3947d ago

Give me a proper Banjo Kazooie game and I'll squeal like a fat kid with a sweet tooth alone in a candy store.

SuperLupe3947d ago (Edited 3947d ago )

I heard Lionhead are working on a Fable MMO. To be honest I wouldnt mind seeing them work on somethong else for once. They are a talented studio and We've had 4 Fable games last gen if I'm not mistaken.

Epic arent first party but you can be sure they have at least one deal going on for a XOne exclusive, may that be Gears or not. You just dont give up a partnership that was so lucrative for both MS and Epic.

True_Samurai3947d ago

^^^ please sir get off these meatballs

HammadTheBeast3947d ago

As long as it's like Fable 1/2 and not that trash 3.

CalamityCB3947d ago

First thing I would do in a Fable MMO is fart in another players face lol.

SockeyBoy3946d ago

lol I would like to witness that and then buy you a drink at the Ye Quill & Quandary.

sobotz3947d ago

Gears need to rest for a while, at least until Halo 5 released.

Fable MMO would be awesome, imagine if we can buy our own house and upgrade it like in The Sims, get married with another player, buying some pets, customize some furniture, while doing some odd-jobs with another player to get some money.

3947d ago
Athonline3946d ago

I got friends working at Lionhead and they are near my office.They indeed got a few titles at reaaally early work stages, most of the studio is doing nothing.
Some employees even left a couple of months ago to start a new indie studio..

I hope I am wrong or that my friends due to their NDAs couldn't say more, but I doubt we will see a Lionhead game anytime soon -unless they really rush it.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 3946d ago
The Meerkat3947d ago

They need to launch a new AAA game in a genre that isn't saturated. So no FPS, no adventure, no TPS.

I would like a new AAA game like Freelancer, Wing Commander, Elite 2

SITH3947d ago

I agree, but you named two games that specifically will absolutely not happen. Both made by Chris Roberts, and both the foundation of star citizen a PC exclusive. I think it is time to bring back the space genre like star citizen and xrebirth are doing. MS needs something that branches out from the norm not just some random indie game that does it. A AAA title with serious backing.

CalamityCB3947d ago

If Microsoft play it right they could have a absolutely huge presence at gamescom if they announce the right games.

Heck even if they put in something like a Banjo Kazooie or Conker teaser trailer, even if it isn't even in development, they would probably win back some of the old-timers.

Also for the love of god 343i don't show anything of the new Halo game yet, too early. I wouldn't mind a lovely teaser trailer though like the epic one from E3.

Also Also, it's about time Lionhead made a presence now, they've been lurking in the shadows and now I think it's about time they rise up as a AAA developer, they have the potential all they need now is the game.

HolyDuck3947d ago

What was Lionheads last game?

Fable: The Journey?

Damn, they need a new IP or something.

Show all comments (62)
150°

10 Biggest Xbox Mistakes of All Time (So Far)

The Xbox brand has done a lot of good over the years, but their various blunders are pretty wild to look back on in their magnitude.

Read Full Story >>
culturedvultures.com
piroh10d ago (Edited 10d ago )

Ironically number 9 can save them at this point (releasing games on multiple platforms)

ChasterMies9d ago

By “save them” you mean make more profit for Microsoft. Xbox will still be a dying hardware platform.

OtterX9d ago

You could add the naming scheme for the consoles, it just confuses customers. I know they wanted to avoid traditional numbering bc it would always be lower than their competitor, but this whole 360 then One then Series thing is confusing af. Imagine a Soccer Mom trying to figure this stuff out. I still mistakenly call the Series X the One from time to time on accident.

RNTody9d ago

Don't forget about the Xbox One, Xbox One X and Xbox Series X! Good luck to Soccer moms around the world.

S2Killinit9d ago (Edited 9d ago )

They did that on purpose to confuse and direct attention away from the generational numbering.

MS doesn’t like reminding people that they joined the industry after others had already been involved in gaming.

For instance, they called the xbox “360” to combat PlayStation “3” because they wanted to seem like “more” than “3”, so instead of xbox 2, they opted for xbox 360. Also this had the additional benefit of selling consoles to uninformed parents who might purchase a “360” instead of a “3” by mistake, or because they thought 360 was more than 3. Kind of a disingenuous move.

They have been continuing with their confusing naming patterns for pretty much the same reasons. Frankly, it fits with who and what they are as a brand.

FinalFantasyFanatic8d ago

I can understand their reasoning, but whoever came up with that naming scheme should be fired, bad naming schemes have killed consoles (I'm pretty sure it was the major reason for the downfall of the WiiU). They should have had unqiue names like Nintendo and Sega have had for their consoles, far less confusing for the consumer.

rob-GP5d ago

@FinalFantasyFanatic "They should have had unqiue names like Nintendo..."

lol, you mean:

NES, SNES
GameBoy, GameBoy Advanced, GameBoy Colour, GameBoy SP
DS, DSi, DSXL
3DS, 3DS XL, New 3DS, New 3DS XL
Wii, Wii U
Switch, Switch OLED

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 5d ago
Cacabunga9d ago (Edited 9d ago )

Phil Spencer is the worst that has happened to Xbox.
They built a respectable brand up to Xbox one. Then this guy took over and things became a joke

Reaper22_9d ago

He still has his job. Something you can't say about Jim Ryan.

Cacabunga9d ago

Both bad execs. One is on job and one thankfully retired.

FinalFantasyFanatic8d ago (Edited 8d ago )

I didn't like either person, both people damaged their respective brands and produced worse outcomes, but Phil did save the Xbox brand from being retired by Microsoft. Although in hindsight, he should have just let it die, rather than languish in limbo like it is now.

Rainbowcookie7d ago

Yeah but the one that was "bad" didn't even affect sales.

bunt-custardly9d ago

Phil Spencer was also on the team back when 360 was around, alongside Shane Kim, Peter Moore etc. I think the damage that did the most harm was the Don Mattrick "Always Online" console (ahead of its time basically). They handed Sony and Nintendo a free-pass when that was revealed. It went downhill from there. Then the corporate machine went into full swing to try and recover. They have to a degree as a games company for the masses, and less so for the core gamer. Outside USA, the Xbox brand does not sell as well as Japanese based consoles (citation needed).

Cacabunga9d ago

Want a decision maker. The always online and TV plans was a disaster yes, but they caught up by announcing 1st party games that gamers actually kept the hype going.. until this moron took over and introduced the PC day one release.. e all know where that ended..

S2Killinit9d ago

I dont think they were ever a respectable brand, not since the beginning, when their goal was never to be involved and share in the gaming space. I think the OG xbox was an exception because MS as a brand was still getting its foot in and so the people behind that were people of the gaming industry.

FinalFantasyFanatic8d ago

The 360 was the brand in its prime though, everything went downhill towards the end of that generation. Its staple games like Halo, Forza and Gears are what kept the console relevant and afloat for so long.

MaximusPrime_9d ago

Really good video.

I remember the days with RRoD was big news on here, N4G.

Microsoft had it turbulence number of years.

Looking at the success of Sea of Thieves despite being 6 years old, time to release Halo, Forza horizon 4 & 5 on PS5. It'll help their revenue

shinoff21839d ago (Edited 9d ago )

2 of the 4 games they did already sold really well. So it's definitely going down. Idk about halo or forza but I feel those studios they've bought in the last 5 years, their coming

ChasterMies9d ago

I found this video painful to watch. Can someone list them out?

Top 10 for me from are:
1. 2013 reveal presentation
2. Bundling Kinect 2 with Xbox One
3. RRoD or why rushing to market with hardware is always a bad idea.
4. Buying studios only to close them.
5. Ads on the Home Screen
6. Letting Halo die.
7. Letting Geard of War die.
8. Every console name
9. Charging for Xbox Live on Xbox 360 when Sony let PS3 players play online for free.
10. Cancelling release of OG Xbox games after the Xbox 360 launched.

Show all comments (31)
150°

Microsoft to Add Copilot AI to Video Games

Microsoft recently revealed its plans to incorporate Copilot directly into video games, with Minecraft being the first showcased example.

Read Full Story >>
xpgained.co.uk
Fishy Fingers14d ago (Edited 14d ago )

F*** AI

"Hey Copilot, what's a good meme to prove I dislike AI".... https://giphy.com/clips/sou...

Einhander197214d ago

Two trillion dollar company that just can't wait to put as many people possible out of work as fast as possible.

It feels like every single thing they do is making gaming worse and destroying the industry.

14d ago
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13d ago
darthv7213d ago

....you know it takes people to program the AI.... right? It isnt like it is sentient. We haven't reach skynet level of situation or anywhere close to the matrix just yet.

That's next Thursday.

Einhander197212d ago (Edited 12d ago )

It takes a people to program the AI then that AI is used for who knows how many games eliminating countless jobs which only grows as AI is used for more and more game creation functions.

What you're saying is so ridiculously short sighted and truly larking any kind of understanding and foresight.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 12d ago
CaptainFaisal13d ago

Why all the hate? Im actually excited about this! Always wanted this kind of immersion, and an AI companion with me all the time helping me out knowing the status of my skills/inventory/progress and giving me tips on the best approach or how to craft something specific is game changing for the industry.

Hate all you want about AI, but this is just the start and I can see the potential already. You wont be complaining in the next 5-10 years about this, but rather complain if a game hasn’t implemented it.

MrDead13d ago

Yes we can't wait for the work of others to be used without the need to pay them so that MS can profit even more from the people they fire.

I_am_Batman13d ago (Edited 13d ago )

There is no chance I'd ever use something like this, especially if it's not part of the core game design, but a layer on top of it. It's way too much handholding. Many games already feel like busy work, because they don't let the player figure things out on their own. Having a real-time interactive guide defeats the purpose of playing the game in the first place in my opinion.

If this were to become the standard like you predict, we'll see more and more video games get away with bad design, because people will just be used to ask for help from the AI companion anyway.

Number1TailzFan13d ago

Well Nintendo don't need this with some of their games these days, with invincible characters, items, easy bosses etc.. they do the hand holding built in

helicoptergirl13d ago

Takes "hand holding" in games to a whole new level.

BlackDoomAx12d ago

Because human nature xD Almost every new technology had these kind of comments.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 12d ago
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70°

Activision team is opening a new game studio in Poland 'Elsewhere Entertainment' to build new AAA IP

Microsoft's Activision subsidiary announced today that it is opening a new game development studio to take advantage of the huge talent pool growing in Poland. It'll be the second Activision studio based in the region, joining Infinity Ward Krakow, although this studio is, in fact, not working on Call of Duty.

Read Full Story >>
windowscentral.com
Psychonaut8517d ago

They’re not working on Call of Duty? Give it time.