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The Engadget & Joystiq Interview: Microsoft's Shane Kim [update 1]
If you haven't already watched the video, now you can read the transcription of our interview with Shane Kim, General Manager of Microsoft Game Studios. On Wednesday (in the middle of E3), Vlad Cole and I got some time to sit down and ask him about some of the biggest questions facing Microsoft's early entrant into the next-gen console wars, like whether there are any more developer acquisitions lined up, which Xbox Live Arcade titles will show up on Vista with Live Anywhere, what are the plans for ad-supported gaming, and just how many paid subscribers does Xbox Live has. We're corroborating with several sources: is Peter Moore's [Grand Theft Auto 4] tattoo real? You know, I wasn't there when it was put on there, it's a very personal thing so I can neither confirm nor deny. Okay... so it's real. Prior to E3, people were really looking forward to actual demonstrations of the Wii controller. That was the big buzz coming into the show and, after they unveiled it, I think people were more or less satisfied with it. So how do you think you fared versus that intense excitement towards that controller? I think we fared extremely well. One of the big things we talked about yesterday was all the momentum we're going to have this next generation. We're going to have 10 million units in consumers' hands before the competitor even ships unit one. We're well on our way to 6 million connected members on Xbox Live and we're going to have 160 games in the market by the end of the year. We've got great momentum. We had Bill Gates attend E3 for the first time ever to announce the vision of Live anywhere. Again, demonstrating leadership in the online space isn't just about what we've achieved to date, but also about how we're going to take that forward across multiple platforms and devices. And finally, first and foremost, it's about the games and the content. Yesterday we started with Gears of War and ended with Halo 3, and we sprinkled in a little bit of Fable 2, Forza 2, Alan Wake, and, oh by the way, the Grand Theft Auto 4 announcement as well. So I think from the content standpoint we're definitely doing great there. So, better online, better content, and better pricing than some of the competition; we feel good about where we're at. Do you think it's important to win E3? I think most people say you have, at least in terms of the keynotes. I think it's always great to be recognized for what you're doing, whether it's at E3 or any other point. Sometimes I worry there's too much importance placed on that but since people are saying we won this year, I'll say it's a great thing we won E3.
Molyneux's Fable 2 dance recital at E3
Lionhead Studios founder Peter Molyneux addressed the media at E3 this week, where he discussed his company's acquisition by Microsoft and the highly anticipated Fable 2. Unfortunately, the sequel to one of the Xbox's bestselling games is not quite demo-ready, and Molyneux wasn't exactly forthcoming on development details. Instead, he chose to focus on the importance of emotional engagement in Fable 2, one of the stronger elements in the original game.Molyneux did hint at the possible inclusion of an Xbox 360's friends list feature for his next action RPG, and is intrigued by Microsoft's new Live Anywhere technology, but again, he confirmed nothing. Throw us a friggin' bone here, Pete! At least we have a pretty trailer to look at.Lionhead's other games include The Movies and Black & White 2.See also: Molyneux predicted a Revolution...in '04
Molyneux predicted a Revolution ... in '04
During a demonstration of Fable, his then-upcoming RPG, at 2004's DICE conference, Peter Molynuex predicted that game controllers needed a revolution -- so to speak -- to accomodate the shift in game design. He said: I reckon, and this is a real personal point of view, the greatest innovation in hardware won't come from the next graphics processor, or the next processor, or the next console, or even the next PC. Someone, somewhere will come up with an input device that enables us to do games that we haven't even imagined before ... somewhere, someone is going to come up with a second-generation controller because, I would argue, the controllers we have now were designed to actually move around 2D worlds, and they've been hybrided for 3D worlds, and they're still not good enough, and the number of times you have to go through and re-jig your game because of the controllers. Sounds like the sagacious Molynuex would have loved to make a title using Nintendo's new controller; although, with last week's announcement that Microsoft finally bought Molyneux's Lionhead Studios, it looks like it ain't gonna happen. [Thanks, k2switch]
Microsoft's Lionhead acquisition official
The GDC rumour mill had its finger on the pulse where Lionhead and Microsoft were concerned; Microsoft has acquired the British developer, beating out rumoured competition from EA and Ubisoft. It looks as though Microsoft were especially keen to grab Peter Molyneux -- they'll be putting his innovative approach to gaming to use on the Xbox 360 and Vista platforms. This is good news for the struggling Lionhead, although whether it will help Molyneux's games sell any better is yet to be seen. As far as the UK games industry is concerned, international acquisitions like this (and Rare's before it) are interesting -- while there will always be smaller guys going it alone, there's a short supply of big-name British developers who are staying home-grown.
Microsoft on the hunt for Lionhead
Rumors rumbling out of GDC report that Microsoft and Lionhead are in the final stages of negotiating an acquisition deal that would welcome Peter Molyneux's development studio into the Microsoft gaming family.The future looked bleak for Lionhead earlier this month when the British studio was forced to cut 20% of its workforce, but this recent development suggests that Molyneux and crew will soon be back on track. Then again, look what happened to Rare under Microsoft's arm...
Molyneux's Lionhead cuts staff, axes projects
Lionhead has confirmed recent job layoffs, downsizing its total staff from 250 to 200. The cutbacks also signal the end of some of the studio's current projects. Lionhead founder Peter Molyneux told remaining employees that only two titles, both for next-gen consoles, will continue to be developed. The sequel to Fable—said to be in development for the past year—is expected to be one of those games.Analysts have cited poor sales of Lionhead's most recent PC titles, The Movies and Black and White 2, as primary causes for the decision to resize the studio. Activision, publishers of The Movies, dropped the title last month, destroying hopes for a console port. In addition, rumors have begun heating up that Molyneux is again seeking to sell Lionhead. Microsoft and Ubisoft are the most prominent potential buyers. Although, Microsoft is likely wary of offering the big bucks given Rare's poor performance since the Xbox-maker acquired that studio for $375 million back in 2002.[Thanks, The1]
Fable: The Lost Chapters
The PC version of Fable is on it's way. Whether this is greeted with cheering or booing, is largely governed by what you believe about the Xbox version. Some people hated it, others loved it, Peter Molyneux apologized for it. Regardless, it looks prettier than your Aunt Mabel did in High School, before the ravages of time wore her down to the husk she is today. (ed. note: perhaps she played too much Fable.)
