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Halo 4 update adds new Support Upgrades, Spartan Ops to matchmaking
343 Industries will push out a title update for Halo 4 this Monday, August 19, ahead of the launch of the game's Champions Bundle DLC, which is scheduled for the next day. The patch, in addition to ending the current Global Championship online qualifier, also adds two new Support Upgrades: Recharge, which reduces the amount of time it takes for your shields to recharge, and Survivor, which automatically ejects the player from any vehicle on the verge of exploding. The update also adds Spartan Ops levels to matchmaking, specifically two chapters from Episode 1 (The Challenge, Sacred), one chapter from Episode 2 (Gagarin) and two chapters from Episode 5 (Spartan Miller, Nothing Can Go Wrong). Meanwhile, the game's Crimson Map Pack will be removed in preparation for the arrival of the Champions Bundle.
Watch 40 minutes of Microsoft Studios' Project Spark
Microsoft Studios streamed 40 minutes of its E3 Windows 8 build of game-crafter Project Spark last night, and the video is now up to watch. Spark, described in the stream as an "open-world digital canvas that allows you to create your own games, stories, worlds, and share them with everyone," was announced at E3 for Xbox One, Xbox 360, and Windows 8. At E3, manager Michael Saxs Persson told us how the game evolved from the programming language of Kodu Game Lab. In Spark, players can create and manipulate worlds, like the lush island setting made in the stream, and then within those worlds use the programming toolset to create all manner of things, similar to LittleBigPlanet 2. Speaking to OXM, Saxs Persson said studio members have used Spark to recreate The Force Unleashed and X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter, the latter with a "fully functioning" X-Wing and every power-up included. Of course it can do things other than Star Wars, but we'd have started there, too. Project Spark is scheduled for Xbox One's launch window.
Halo 4 'Champions Bundle' DLC announced
Three new DLC packs are headed to Halo 4 on August 20, available separately or in one big blob of stuff called a "Champions Bundle." Purchasing the DLC in bundle-form sweetens the pot through the addition of 18 in-game items "only available for a limited time exclusively through the bundle," according to the announcement. The three new DLC packs include the "Bullseye Pack," which features two multiplayer maps, "sports-themed" armor and a new "Ricochet" game mode. The "Infinity Armor Pack" delivers "impressive and legendary new armor" of some sort while the "Steel Skin Pack" throws some "steampunk" all up on your weapons. Though, based on the trailer above, we're not sure if 343 Industries' definition of steampunk is quite the same as our own. The entire bundle will be available for 800 MS Points, whereas the Bullseye Pack will run a la carte at 480 MS Points – the Infinity Armor/Steel Skin Packs will cost 240 MS Points when purchased separately. %Gallery-193233%
Undead Labs double taps plans for State of Decay multiplayer
State of Decay developer Undead Labs has been "thoroughly evaluating the possibility of adding co-op multiplayer" to the game and apparently determined that there isn't one. Co-op multiplayer was originally planned for the game, but ultimately scrapped as Undead Labs thought its inclusion could delay the launch of State of Decay for as much as half a year. An update on the developer's forums dashes all hopes that multiplayer might've someday made it into the Xbox Live Arcade hit. In an update on the forums, "Undead Jeff" explains that it would take close to nine months to get multiplayer into the game. "We could 'check the box' and shoehorn multiplayer in sooner than that, but it wouldn't be a great experience, and certainly not one we'd be proud of," he explains. On top of that, pursuing multiplayer would inhibit Undead Labs' ability to support the game with further title updates and DLC. As for future games, "Undead Jeff" says, "Multiplayer will be the absolute heart of any future State of Decay games. As many of you know, we've always had ambitious plans for the future of State of Decay, and those plans have not changed."
Halo 4 is Microsoft Studios' best seller so far
Halo 4 is the "best-selling Microsoft Studios title ever in the U.S. market,*" performing better than Halo 3 did during its fiscal launch year, according to ol' Microsoft. That all-important asterisk denotes that claim as being "according to Microsoft retail sales sell-through data for each respective fiscal year." Presumably, this means that Halo 4 has also outperformed other Microsoft Studios launches, such as Fable 3 or Forza Motorsport 4. It's no wonder, then, that Microsoft has decided to expand the Halo series' current "Reclaimer" trilogy into a "saga," a term that translates to "as many games as we feel like" or "why on Earth would we ever stop," depending on the dictionary you're using.
Age of Empires marching onto iOS, Android
Social game developer Klab is working on a "mobile version of Microsoft Studio's Age of Empires franchise" for iOS and Android. The news follows a Nikkei report that claimed Microsoft agreed to a deal with Klab for various mobile versions of the former's games, including what Nikkei specified as a free-to-play version of strategy series Age of Empires. However, in a statement issued to Polygon, Microsoft only confirmed the iOS and Android version of Age of Empires. The statement also noted certain reports "included incorrect information about additional Xbox Live-based games on iOS and Android," before adding that "there are no further announcements beyond Age of Empires at this time." While that leaves the door ajar, at the moment Age of Empires is the one confirmed to be headed for mobiles. Microsoft's statement added the game will be initially made in English for iOS and Android, but there are plans for other languages, as well as a Windows Phone version, down the line.
Project Spark beta registration opens
Microsoft has initiated beta registration for Project Spark, its world builder game for Windows 8 and Xbox One. Those who wish to be among the first wave of players can sign up now, while a Facebook page also promises to keep us informed. Project Spark, the next iteration of Microsoft's Kodu programming language, was revealed during Microsoft's E3 keynote two weeks ago. Microsoft has yet to announce a release date for Project Spark, though it will support SmartGlass and Kinect at launch.
Skulls of the Shogun dev on Microsoft Studios: 'Institutionally incompetent'
In 2008, Skulls of the Shogun collaborator Borut Pfeifer and developer 17-bit Studios cut a deal with Microsoft to launch their game simultaneously across XBLA, Surface tablets and Windows 8. Pfeifer had some reservations about working with Microsoft, but at the time, he thought getting onto a console could mean instant success. As the years dragged on, the bureaucracy of working with Microsoft complicated development and hit the team financially – Microsoft didn't pay them on time, and they had to take out a loan, Pfeifer told Rock, Paper, Shotgun. "To be fair, we knew we were kind of making a deal with the devil," Pfeifer said. "Probably one of our biggest mistakes was thinking in 2008 terms, where it's like, 'If you want to be on console you've got to be a console first,' and that's just not true any more." As a publisher, Preifer said that Microsoft Studios never tried to interfere with Skulls of the Shogun creatively, but that branch had deep-rooted problems. "They came across as though they were institutionally incompetent," Pfeifer said. "I think they're not really set up to be a decent publisher. I do feel slightly bad saying that, because there were people there who worked hard on our behalf, but at the same time there are systemic problems with the way that division is set up and run." Microsoft doesn't hate indie developers, Pfeifer said. "There are people there, like Chris Charla, the portfolio manager of XBLA – though that's probably changing, because XBLA is going away – who are great champions, but as a whole, it's not that Microsoft loves or even hates indies. It's just that they're an indifferent machine to it all." An expanded edition of Skulls of the Shogun launches on Steam in July, and the beta is available now with pre-orders. On XBLA, we found Skulls of the Shogun to be an absolutely enjoyable experience – so much so that we gave it a perfect score. After the Xbox One reveal, we asked a handful of independent developers what they thought Microsoft said to them with the presentation: "It was sort of weird," was the overall summary. Before even that, we asked a larger handful of indies what they thought of Microsoft in the current generation, and received a mixed response.
Killer Instinct to launch alongside Xbox One
Microsoft's revival of Rare's fighting series, Killer Instinct, will be a launch game for the Xbox One. Microsoft Studios head Phil Spencer told me Killer Instinct is "being overseen by people who are really core to that franchise," and suggested the developer, Double Helix Games, was getting a "bad rap" for its recent history of movie-licensed games. "I think the developer is getting a little bad rap around this game," Spencer said. "We found a developer who really cares about the game. They're building a great game at 60 frames per second." Though it seems to have coalesced into a real product made purely from recurring internet wishes, Killer Instinct is practically seen as an ambassador for Xbox One's improvements to online matchmaking. "Obviously, multiplayer is pretty core to what the game is right now, but when you think about asynchronous matchmaking, and I don't know if it really came across [during Microsoft's media briefing], but while you're playing your match, your next fight is being set up. So, you're literally just carousel-ing from fight to fight. A fighting game, given its round-based nature and how long the rounds are, is a great opportunity to showcase the asynchronous matchmaking." Of course, that isn't to say Twitter had no participation in the matter. "And then, yes, my Twitter feed is always lit up with, you know, there are a few games - Crackdown being one, Killer Instinct being another. When are you going to do this game? Everyone thought there was going to be a Kameo 2, or ... I don't get a lot of Brute Force 2."%Gallery-191172%
Insomniac on working with Microsoft Studios for Xbox One exclusive, Sunset Overdrive
Insomniac Games' new open-world shooter, Sunset Overdrive, is exclusive to Xbox One and published by Microsoft Studios – and this partnership may require some explaining for "longtime fans," Insomniac CEO Ted Price writes. "When we first began discussing this idea with Microsoft, we were initially hesitant to shift back into an exclusive arrangement," Price writes in an Insomniac blog post. "But as the Microsoft team began introducing us to the abilities and philosophies driving the development of Xbox One, we knew that Sunset Overdrive was a perfect fit. The Xbox One and Xbox Live will support our ambitions to create an ongoing two-way dialogue with our community. It will also allow us to have quicker production cycles, enabling timely content updates for new weapons, characters, storylines and even pop culture-relevant content like memes based on social commentary." Independent studios aren't allowed to self-publish on the Xbox One, and Insomniac is definitely independent, Price says. This means the studio doesn't have to abandon its PlayStation roots or classic franchises such as Ratchet and Clank. "Insomniac has been, is, and will continue to be 100 percent independent. We have treasured that independence for the last 19 years. It now allows us to own and control our IP, and find the most suitable partners to make those IP a reality. While we are excited about partnering with Microsoft on Sunset Overdrive, that doesn't mean we can't or wouldn't make games with our longtime friends at Sony." Sunset Overdrive has an official site, and the trailer from Microsoft's E3 show is now viewable in our announcement post.
Doodle Jump for Kinect keeps it down to $5 this summer
Doodle Jump for Kinect on Xbox Live Arcade will launch for 400 MS Points ($5) this summer. Smoking Gun Interactive will adapt Lima Sky's popular vertical platformer to Kinect, adding "three brand-new worlds, treacherous bosses, challenging achievements, engaging power-ups and intuitive gesture controls." Those gestures include lateral full-body movement and "a flap of the arms" to control flying, just as you would in real life.
Microsoft investing $1 billion into games on Xbox One
Microsoft is investing $1 billion into games on the Xbox One, financing not only new studios but also securing exclusives for Microsoft's next-generation console. This is an unprecedented investment for Microsoft, much more than its most expensive game yet, Halo 4. Xbox One is planned to have 15 exclusives from Microsoft in its first year at retail, including eight new intellectual properties - the product of two years that has seen the formation of new studios in London, Washington and Victoria, British Columbia. Phil Harrison, former Sony exec, was brought on to oversee internal projects; Lionhead's new boss is John Needham, a guy with a heavy MMO background. Microsoft Studios boss Phil Spencer told OXM Rare is returning to one of its older franchises (Killer Instinct, anyone?) and Black Tusk Studios is hard at work on Microsoft's next big franchise. Lift London is working on smaller cloud-based games, while Microsoft Studios Osaka has a project under way - something Don Mattrick says will illustrate how Microsoft is "committed" to Japan. Finally, Press Play and Twisted Pixel are in Microsoft's bullpen, working on "weird, unique" games for Xbox Live. And that's not counting the continuing Call of Duty exclusivity deal and games Microsoft did talk about during its Xbox reveal event: Turn 10's Forza Motorsport 5; Remedy Entertainment's Quantum Break; and four games from EA Sports in UFC, Madden 25, FIFA 14 and NBA Live 14. Later, Crytek confirmed its Kinect-powered brawler Ryse is coming to Xbox One. Xbox One is due later this year, with more to be shown at E3 between June 9 and June 11 in Los Angeles, California.
Halo 4 for $18 at Best Buy today
If you've yet to experience John 117's latest adventure, you should know that Halo 4 is a mere $18 at Best Buy today. That deal is valid only for today, by the way, giving you a great excuse Forerunning to the nearest store. [Thanks, Hank!]
Doritos Crash Course 2 crunches into XBLA tomorrow for free
As free, corporate-sponsored games go, we enjoyed the 2D platforming approximation of Wipeout (the TV show) that was Doritos Crash Course. Also, it was, like most free, corporate-sponsored games, entirely free. This is rarely ever a bad thing. With all that in mind, it's cool to see a sequel coming to XBLA tomorrow, May 8. Yes, it's still free. As per the first game, you're traversing your Xbox Avatar from left to right and as quick as poss, but this time in four new worlds including an icy one and a pirate-y one. There's online and offline multiplayer for up to four runners, and you can compare your speed against friends via "asynchronous" clips. Remember, the game's free - no-one's forcing you to buy any chips to play it. At the very least that means free Achievements, which of course is the most important thing. %Gallery-187673%
Ex-Cryptic, Gazillion CEO John Needham is new Lionhead boss
John Needham is now the new boss of Lionhead Studios. Needham's previous posts include CEO of Cryptic Studios (Star Trek Online) for nearly three years and CEO at Gazillion Entertainment (Marvel Universe Online) for almost two years. "Our vision is focused on building innovative gaming services and triple-A experiences at Lionhead, and the rest of Microsoft Studios, which take advantage of Microsoft's incredible hardware and software platforms," Needham says in the MCV report. A glance at Needham's LinkedIn profile shows a legacy well-versed in MMOs, subscription-based services and free-to-play games. Lionhead was in the headlines last year when longtime boss Peter Molyneux left to start 22 Cans and put out his first experiment, Curiosity. Lionhead Studios was purchased by Microsoft in 2006. The studio's last game was the Kinect action-adventure game, Fable: The Journey.
Forza Horizon rolls out free 1000 Club DLC tomorrow
Forza Horizon will get a free infusion of new content tomorrow. Entitled the 1000 Club, the DLC adds over 1000 challenges to complete, along with some new Achievements. The DLC will automatically suggest challenges based on whatever cars a player owns. Based on the trailer, the challenges offer more than racing, tasking players with everything from making huge jumps to just crashing into things. The 1000 Club will also include two new cars, the 1956 Ford F100 and the 1995 RUF CTR2.Microsoft tells Joystiq that the pack will feature unique challenges for every single car in the game, including the cars from the standard game and those that have been released as DLC.
State of Decay gets new trailer, coming to XBLA in June
Undead Labs has announced a June release window for State of Decay on Xbox Live Arcade. The game, formerly known as Class3, features a whole mess of zombies and survival horror action. While State of Decay will come to PC in addition to XBLA, the release window announcement from Undead Labs only specifically notes that the Xbox 360 version will launch in June.The developer recently unveiled a new trailer for the game as well, which we've embedded above.
Report: Microsoft Studios creative director Adam Orth no longer with company
Adam Orth, the Microsoft Studios creative director who caused a stir among consumers last week by tweeting his opinions on "always-on" devices, is no longer a Microsoft employee, according to "two sources" speaking with Polygon.Last week, Microsoft publicly apologized for Orth's comments, saying that "this person is not a spokesperson for Microsoft, and his personal views do not reflect the customer centric approach we take to our products or how we would communicate directly with our loyal consumers."We have reached out to Microsoft for a statement on the situation and will update this story if we learn more.
Microsoft Studios creative director dismisses 'always-on' console concerns
Adam Orth, creative director at Microsoft's video game division, doesn't "get the drama around having an 'always on' console." Orth took to Twitter yesterday to publicly dismiss criticisms of always-online consoles, likely in response to Kotaku sources recently saying the next-generation Xbox will require an online connection to play games.While Orth has since protected his account, his tweets were screencapped on Reddit and NeoGAF. Orth, who's been with Microsoft for 15 months having previously worked at LucasArts and PopCap, kicked off heated discussion by tweeting, "Sorry, I don't get the drama around having an 'always on' console. Every device now is 'always on.' That's the world we live in. #dealwithit" Orth went on to say he wants every device to be 'always on.'Orth's comment caught the attention of BioWare's Manveer Heir, who tweeted back, "Did you learn nothing from Diablo III or SimCity? You know some people's internet goes out right? Deal with it is a shitty reason."Orth responded, "Electricity goes out too." He later reiterated his 'deal with it' comment.While Orth made it clear he was expressing his personal opinion, his comments drew a sizable backlash from online communities; his conversation with Heir made it to Reddit's front page. It all follows continued speculation the as-yet-unannounced next Xbox, believed to be codenamed Durango, will feature an always-online Internet connection as a barrier to second-hand games. In contrast, Sony Worldwide Studios chief Shuhei Yoshida said the PS4, expected this year, doesn't need to be always online.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Halo 4's second run of McFarlane toys includes exclusive DLC
McFarlane Toys' second run of Halo 4 action figures will include special vouchers for exclusive DLC in 343 Industries' game. Master Chief, Elite Ranger, Storm Jackal and two different Spartan figures will be offered – plus a deluxe nine-inch tall Didact figure, planned for the fall.In a blog post over on the McFarlane Toys site, nothing is revealed regarding the exact nature of the DLC, just that more information on the specifics are promised for later. The first run of Halo 4 figures from McFarlane didn't include any complementary DLC.
