Project-Milo
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Fable franchise expected to incorporate Milo's technology
It seems like just a couple months ago that Peter Molyneux was on stage at the prestiguous TED conference sharing "Project Milo" with the attendees, and now rumors suggest the virtual boy-shaped tamagotchi has been put down and carved up. We spoke with Microsoft Game Studios boss Phil Spencer in Tokyo last week and asked him about the commercial prospects of the always commercially vague Milo project. "If I had to bet, which I guess I do, I think you will see the innovation that that team put forward come to market, absolutely," Spencer told Joystiq. "Will it be under the idea and framework of 'Milo,' I'm not as convinced of that."
Rumor: Project Milo 'canceled,' tech moved to Fable project
Milo may have wandered off from the safety of the pond and into the jaws of a balverine. A Eurogamer source tells the site that Lionhead's Kinect-powered Project Milo was canceled yesterday, with 19 contractors let go. Surviving staffers on the boy simulator team will allegedly use the tech on a "Fable themed Kinect game." Lionhead told Joystiq today that it "cannot comment on rumors or speculation." In late June, the studio dismissed prior cancellation rumors by showing a photo of the team hard at work. That didn't happen this time. Studio head Peter Molyneux had mentioned in recent months that Milo had become a "very, very big tech demo." Perhaps it was time to finally focus on a commercial product and bury the boy alive. (Wow, that's terrifying imagery.)
'Project Milo' team about 50 strong; 'product' not coming this holiday
Pictured here we see the "Project Milo Team" hard at work, according to a TweetPhoto posted by Lionhead Studios' Sam Van Tilburgh today. Van Tilburgh's proof comes in response to comments made by Aaron Greenberg about the status of Lionhead's Milo & Kate project in a video clip (see 0:41 mark) posted on the Australia-based ABC "Good Game" site. "Obviously, that's a tech demo -- and technology -- that continues to exist, but right now it's not a game that we're planning to bring to market," Greenberg said of Milo in the brief clip. While Van Tilburgh could not openly comment to Joystiq on the assumption (based on Greenberg's statement) that Milo could remain a non-retail tech demo, he did clarify, "There's about 50 people on the 'Project Milo Team'" (which would seem an unlikely number of staff and apparent resources to devote to a mere demo). Van Tilburgh deferred to Greenberg, who tweeted this official statement today: "Project Milo absolutely continues in development at Lionhead Studios, it is just not a product we plan to bring to market this holiday." While carefully worded, Greenberg's statement suggests that Milo, in some shape or form, is likely to be integrated into a retail product in the future. Just last week, Lionhead head Peter Molyneux teased that there was "a very interesting reason" why the updated Milo & Kate demo was not shown to media outlets during E3. Could it be that Molyneux is saving the big reveal for his scheduled TED talk? Probably not -- but the "game changing" designer will be lecturing about his "astonishing virtual friend" on Tuesday, July 13. Hopefully, he'll start to Kinect some of the dots.
