Xbox 2 Announcement Looms – Sakaguchi-san in the Mix
Final Fantasy creator’s MistWalker Studio offered.
According to snowballing levels of speculation today, Microsoft Game Studios is today poised to make a significant announcement at 16:00 Eastern Time in the US.
The announcement is said to be Xbox 2-focused and important enough to have national press embargoed and ready to run with the news later on today.
Although nothing of substance has leaked thus far, further speculation points towards a possible move towards Hironobu Sakaguchi’s MistWalker Studio. The team, largely comprised of former Square and Enix staff, is currently working on two unnamed projects for unspecified next-generation platforms. To date, only one piece of art, included in this news story, has been offered.
However, some of the more optimistic speculation knocking about talks of a serious showing of hardware and software, though sources have hinted to SPOnG that this won’t be the case.
Which again highlights the inherent strangeness of the gradual emergence of the Xbox 2. In a little over half a year, the Xbox 2 will - if all goes to plan at MS towers - be available to buy in your local Tesco. Yet we have no idea what it is, what it looks like, what it will do, what games - aside from Burnout 4 - will be available at launch. This lack of information so close to a major launch in two territories (the US and Europe seeing Xbox 2 well before Japan) is astonishing to most industry watchers.
So, for what looks set to be little more than a crushing disappointment (though in all honesty, we actually believe something of substance is likely to be shown that will genuinely surprise) check back on SPOnG tomorrow.
And guesswork will, as ever, be welcome in SPOnG’s [URL=http://forums.spong.com]wonderful prize-giving forums. Let us know what you think. [/URL]
The announcement is said to be Xbox 2-focused and important enough to have national press embargoed and ready to run with the news later on today.
Although nothing of substance has leaked thus far, further speculation points towards a possible move towards Hironobu Sakaguchi’s MistWalker Studio. The team, largely comprised of former Square and Enix staff, is currently working on two unnamed projects for unspecified next-generation platforms. To date, only one piece of art, included in this news story, has been offered.
However, some of the more optimistic speculation knocking about talks of a serious showing of hardware and software, though sources have hinted to SPOnG that this won’t be the case.
Which again highlights the inherent strangeness of the gradual emergence of the Xbox 2. In a little over half a year, the Xbox 2 will - if all goes to plan at MS towers - be available to buy in your local Tesco. Yet we have no idea what it is, what it looks like, what it will do, what games - aside from Burnout 4 - will be available at launch. This lack of information so close to a major launch in two territories (the US and Europe seeing Xbox 2 well before Japan) is astonishing to most industry watchers.
So, for what looks set to be little more than a crushing disappointment (though in all honesty, we actually believe something of substance is likely to be shown that will genuinely surprise) check back on SPOnG tomorrow.
And guesswork will, as ever, be welcome in SPOnG’s [URL=http://forums.spong.com]wonderful prize-giving forums. Let us know what you think. [/URL]
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Comments
LUPOS 24 Feb 2005 16:33
1/9
"Hironobu Sakaguchi’s MistWalker Studio. The team, largely comprised of former Square and Enix staff"
a lead into the market... and square/enix style launch game... hd-dvd? ipod style removable storage device? super bad ass graphical abilities? if the thing weighs less than ten pounds it might actually have a chance in Japan... now that would be news.
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a lead into the market... and square/enix style launch game... hd-dvd? ipod style removable storage device? super bad ass graphical abilities? if the thing weighs less than ten pounds it might actually have a chance in Japan... now that would be news.
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Ditto 24 Feb 2005 17:10
2/9
I personally hope Microsoft never have a chance in Japan. The Japanese have more sense than to buy from an evil Western giant.
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LUPOS 24 Feb 2005 17:35
3/9
Adam M wrote:
The Japanese have more sense than to buy from an evil Western giant.
Thats what we thought here in the states when japanese cars started making the rounds... oh people wont buy those... buy american... made in america is beter bla bla bla... they are cheap cause they are made cheap... but in the end a good product at a good price is exactly that... some people will still try to view the world in all its complexity and make decisions acordingly... but most people wont really care. its easier to go with the flow than to swim against it... who hear owns an M$ product? windows? office? Pocket PC? a smart phone perhaps? I think you give them to much credit... japanese people arent all noble samurias willing to fall on a sword for their country... they are regular consumers like the rest of us... maybe even worse... they buy more junk than anyother country and it isnt all japanese... western culture is a huge influence over there... some of the best japanese movies dont happen in hong kong and they arent all asian charcters (see: huge brested big eyed blonds), they love NYC and the american (italian i guees) mafia stories... im rambling again...
point is... they are just consumers... if its got games they want... looks nice.. and doesnt cost to much... it will sell, period. (of course a good marketing campaign woudl help alot too)
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Joji 24 Feb 2005 19:14
4/9
I reckon Mist Walker will be announcing some titles for Xbox2 or that they are gonna work with MS. Doubt if it's much more than that.
Knew Xbox would fail in japan because MS did'nt learn from history that it helps if you have some japanese product at launch (as well as the size issue) and it will be hard to convinve them to buy FPS games and the like instead.
If they get Mist Walker on their list it bodes well for japanese gamers as well as everyone else. Now here's hoping they get the design and size of Xbox2 right.
Knew Xbox would fail in japan because MS did'nt learn from history that it helps if you have some japanese product at launch (as well as the size issue) and it will be hard to convinve them to buy FPS games and the like instead.
If they get Mist Walker on their list it bodes well for japanese gamers as well as everyone else. Now here's hoping they get the design and size of Xbox2 right.
westerhive 24 Feb 2005 21:40
5/9
Here's to hoping a bloated ship sinks itself.
But now M$ fanboys can begin to understand what "The Megaton" was like.
But now M$ fanboys can begin to understand what "The Megaton" was like.
Pandaman 24 Feb 2005 22:13
6/9
It's not that I hate the X-box or don't play games on it, I just really hope the X-box 2 is not perceived well. The intense marketing needed to keep games attractive to the lowest common denominator (the mainstream) is by far and away most present in Microsoft's console strategy.
A rushed system launch, simple updates to games being perceived as games of the year, graphics pushed to the forefront, the center of your multi-media needs...all of these things point to being potentially bad to the real gamers if Microsoft is to have major success in their strategy.
A rushed system launch, simple updates to games being perceived as games of the year, graphics pushed to the forefront, the center of your multi-media needs...all of these things point to being potentially bad to the real gamers if Microsoft is to have major success in their strategy.
config 24 Feb 2005 23:43
7/9
Right on the money; Bloomberg has confirm this news, stating that Sakaguchi-san "will create two role-playing games exclusively for the Xbox"
Odd how the article calls it the "Xbox" right after saying it will the be the next version of Xbo.
Odd how the article calls it the "Xbox" right after saying it will the be the next version of Xbo.
Stryfe01 25 Feb 2005 03:48
8/9
Oh come on now. All the MS bashing is bull. People like you said teh same thing about Sony "bastardising" the industry when they first came on teh scene. Now look who is everyone's favorite. Change happens. Like it or not. If MS puts out a better product this time, that can only be great for gamers, hard-core or casual.
Pandaman 25 Feb 2005 05:29
9/9
Stryfe01 wrote:
Oh come on now. All the MS bashing is bull. People like you said teh same thing about Sony "bastardising" the industry when they first came on teh scene. Now look who is everyone's favorite. Change happens. Like it or not. If MS puts out a better product this time, that can only be great for gamers, hard-core or casual.
Well, look where the industry is now, now that Sony are on "teh" scene. It has expanded the target audience, and while that may be good for some, it only means more saturation in the market as a whole. The after-effects of gaming becoming wildly mainstream have yet to even begin to surface. Just wait until there's no compitition and no significant graphical advances to hide behind anymore.