Microsoft confirmed these rumours of Rare's next game offering today, showing Viva Piñata for the Xbox 360. The game property, developed by the famed studio in the UK, will comprise what looks to be a massive property roll-out underpinned by a TV show to air on Fox from 4Kids, the company linked to the western success of Yu-Gi-Oh!, Pokémon, Cabbage Patch Kids and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

The game looks most closely related to Animal Crossing, blending elements of collecting and virtual environment caretaking, all set in a hyper-cute world inhabited by candy-filled paper animals. The player tends a virtual garden and should aim to attract as many piñatas as possible. Each Piñata is an animal and therefore has its own unique set of requirements from the garden environment.

Things aren't so simple, however. Unlike the omni-nice world of Animal Crossing where the worst thing you'll encounter is a grumpy tiger named Rolf, Viva Piñata features some evil piñatas which must be fended off. The Piñata are prone to being cracked apart, and their candy innards plundered.

By far the most interesting element of Viva Piñata to be revealed by Rare is the online elements it has planned. There will be co-operative and competitive play – hopefully offering the chance to storm someone else's village and smash their prized paper animals to pieces, stealing their candy and leaving them dead inside. We will make up for it on Animal Crossing you understand. We'll send someone we hardly know a golden shovel or a royal crown or something.

To see a complete gallery or all artwork and screenshots released to date for Viva Piñata, hit this text for the game's dedicated page on SPOnG and click the 'More screenshots' link.

We'll bring you any and all emerging data on Viva Piñata, arguably the most interesting Xbox 360 title in development right now, as it breaks.

UPDATE - official site now live right here.