Cryptic's Jack Emmert baffled by lack of MMOs on Xbox 360
A number of massively multiplayer online game developers have touted the fact that their titles will be playable on both PC and Xbox 360 but, with rareexceptions, they've failed to deliver on MMOs for this console. But can the blame for this really be laid solely at the feet of the developers? That seems to be the typical reaction, as many of us get frustrated over these broken promises. However, looking at the various titles that were aiming for 360 and missed, perhaps we should look at what all of these stories have in common: Microsoft. (Lest the fires of console fanboy rage blaze out of control, we're not exactly inundated with PlayStation 3 MMOs either.)
Patrick Garratt from VG247 recently spoke with Jack Emmert from Cryptic Studios about this issue, and his perspective on playing ball with Microsoft to get Champions Online on the 360. Emmert stated that Champions Online for Xbox is almost ready to go, but lack of action on Microsoft's part is holding up the project.
Emmert said, "Microsoft's a big company, and they have to work out all the various issues related to MMOs. It just takes time for the big beast known as Microsoft to get moving. I really have no explanation other than that, because it's as baffling to developers as it is to everyone else."
Update: This story was originally found on GamerZines, but upon closer inspection the actual (and uncredited) source is an article on VG247 by Patrick Garratt. Jack Emmert's statements were part of an interview conducted for the sixth VG247 podcast. I've updated the post to reflect this.
