Gaim Mastr
June 13th, 2004, 02:12 pm
Microsoft Game Studios boss Shane Kim discusses his division's plans to keep bringing world-class titles to the Xbox.
Full Interview (http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?section_name=dev&aid=3599)
Some quotes...
"There is no silver bullet to win," he explains. "I think you have to execute on so many different levels... I think that when you talk about Xbox you've got to talk about the entire program, and so it's not only making sure that you get the hardware right, for us it's also about software. So clearly, with our legacy as a company in Microsoft, we think we have a competitive advantage in the software arena. We're going to do a great job at development, delivering XNA, so it's going to make life a lot easier for software and game creators to make the best art and magic on our platforms - Windows and Xbox."
Pressed on whether Rare has more products in the pipeline for the Xbox 1 - rumours have recently been flying that the company has shifted its focus to the Xbox 2 platform - Kim regretfully says that he "can't go beyond announced stuff." However, the mention of Perfect Dark Zero gets a twinkle in his eye and a playful, quizzical "Perfect Dark Zero...?"
"Look," he says, "Perfect Dark is a great franchise. We know that customers love it, they want to see it on Xbox. Let's leave it at that."
Since the Rare acquisition, Microsoft - which once considered buying companies such as EA and Nintendo to gain a foothold in the games market - has been remarkably quiet in terms of buying developers. Rumours that its friendship with Canadian RPG wizards Bioware has gone beyond mere friendship persist despite the lack of any announcement to that effect at E3; but Kim says that continued acquisitions are "not necessarily" a part of Microsoft Game Studios' plans at all.
One area where Microsoft has failed to make an impact - with the exception of a very small number of third party titles which have proven successful, such as Tecmo's Dead or Alive Beach Volleyball - is Japan, a market which is important not simply because of its size in consumer terms, but because it houses many of the world's biggest and most important publishers and developers.
Xbox 2 is obviously looming on the horizon, but for now, Kim says, Microsoft Game Studios is focused on delivering what it's promised for the existing console. "I can tell you that we've got a lot of titles in the pipeline... We've got a lot of titles that we need to deliver that we've announced. I'm excited about the potential of everything that we've got, so we're pretty focused on making sure that we can deliver those."
Full Interview (http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?section_name=dev&aid=3599)
Some quotes...
"There is no silver bullet to win," he explains. "I think you have to execute on so many different levels... I think that when you talk about Xbox you've got to talk about the entire program, and so it's not only making sure that you get the hardware right, for us it's also about software. So clearly, with our legacy as a company in Microsoft, we think we have a competitive advantage in the software arena. We're going to do a great job at development, delivering XNA, so it's going to make life a lot easier for software and game creators to make the best art and magic on our platforms - Windows and Xbox."
Pressed on whether Rare has more products in the pipeline for the Xbox 1 - rumours have recently been flying that the company has shifted its focus to the Xbox 2 platform - Kim regretfully says that he "can't go beyond announced stuff." However, the mention of Perfect Dark Zero gets a twinkle in his eye and a playful, quizzical "Perfect Dark Zero...?"
"Look," he says, "Perfect Dark is a great franchise. We know that customers love it, they want to see it on Xbox. Let's leave it at that."
Since the Rare acquisition, Microsoft - which once considered buying companies such as EA and Nintendo to gain a foothold in the games market - has been remarkably quiet in terms of buying developers. Rumours that its friendship with Canadian RPG wizards Bioware has gone beyond mere friendship persist despite the lack of any announcement to that effect at E3; but Kim says that continued acquisitions are "not necessarily" a part of Microsoft Game Studios' plans at all.
One area where Microsoft has failed to make an impact - with the exception of a very small number of third party titles which have proven successful, such as Tecmo's Dead or Alive Beach Volleyball - is Japan, a market which is important not simply because of its size in consumer terms, but because it houses many of the world's biggest and most important publishers and developers.
Xbox 2 is obviously looming on the horizon, but for now, Kim says, Microsoft Game Studios is focused on delivering what it's promised for the existing console. "I can tell you that we've got a lot of titles in the pipeline... We've got a lot of titles that we need to deliver that we've announced. I'm excited about the potential of everything that we've got, so we're pretty focused on making sure that we can deliver those."