Xbox's Phil Spencer still coy about a 'Battletoads' sequel
'You could say the ball is rolling.'
When Xbox head Phil Spencer takes the stage at a gaming event, eagle-eyed fans pay close attention to what's on his chest -- his choice of attire is usually a subtle hint of games to come. Last January when he introduced Windows 10's Xbox app and its features, he was wearing a T-shirt sporting the cult classic Battletoads' logo. Of course, that lead to rampant speculation that a proper, 20-plus years-in-the-making sequel was under way.
At last week's Xbox spring showcase in San Francisco, we had the chance to talk to Spencer, so naturally the conversation led to a status check on the eponymous war-ready amphibians.
Engadget: Battletoads. You've worn the T-shirts around, when are we going to get a sequel?
Phil Spencer: Well, to be a little defensive, when I wore the T-shirt, we hadn't announced Rare Replay. [Then] we shipped Rare Replay which had Battletoads in it. We hadn't announced that Rash was gonna be in Killer Instinct. Now we've got a playable-in-Killer-instinct Battletoad.
Engadget: The ball is rolling though, right?
Spencer: You could say the ball is rolling. I could also say, at least it wasn't a tease that I was [just] wearing a shirt. We had a plan where Battletoads was going to be showing up in ways that people hadn't played before. But I hear your vote for a new Battletoads. I hear it and I recognize it.
Text alone doesn't convey the coy tone Spencer took during our interview, so that's what the video embedded up above is for; Battletoads talk starts around the 7:30 mark. Now all that we can do is wait. But if Battletoads fans are anything, they're insanely patient.
