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Traxion ditched, PSP loses unique music puzzler as LucasArts and Kuju split
In a surprise development, LucasArts and Kuju have announced they're breaking up, putting an end to the pair's would-be lovechild Traxion. Billed as a music-puzzle game, Traxion was going to integrate Kuju's music analysis technology with a player's MP3 collection (stored on the PSP Memory Stick), generating a series of minigames that would correspond to certain elements of each song -- the game would also include its own licensed tracks. Unfortunately this ambitious project has proved to be the undoing of Kuju and publisher LucasArts's partnership.While both parties have declined to comment on the specific circumstances that led to the breakup, the official statement (from both sides) is that the split is a mutual decision. While Traxion's future is uncertain, Kuju has confirmed it's developing other music-based software for unspecified platforms.
Confirmed: Traxion axed; Kuju leaves LucasArts
A few days ago, an IGN staff member wrote about how an upcoming music game, Traxion, might have been canned. GI.biz reports that Kuju, the developers of the Traxion project have ended their relationship with the game's publisher, LucasArts. "Kuju can confirm that we have agreed to sever the development relationship with LucasArts in respect of the Traxion game shown at E3 last year," said Ed Daly, studio head of Kuju Brighton.While this means that Traxion is canceled, we can only hope that a similar project will take its place. The game earned praise for its innovative technology that allowed you to play with music stored on the PSP's Memory Stick. "We can say that Kuju Brighton is committed to continue developing innovative lifestyle and music-based games, and we hope to be able to make a more specific announcement about the future of games based on our award-winning music analysis technology in the near future."
Sony hates music games: no Traxion or Frequency?
IGN's David Doel recently had a conversation with Harmonix, the development team behind games like Frequency and Guitar Hero. The team proposed a sequel to the fan-favorite Frequency and Amplitude for the PSP, however Sony declined their request. The music game would've been well suited for the PSP, as the excellent gameplay of other music games, like Gitaroo-Man, show.However, to add insult to injury, it appears that the other music game heading to the PSP, Traxion, has also been canned. This music game from LucasArts was supposed to allow players to import their own songs into the game, a "Frequency-killer," as reported by IGN's nixice. He didn't give a reason, but it's sad to see that the music genre seems to be so neglected on our handheld.
