Independent development studio Darkside Games, which was working on the planned reboot of the cult classic Phantom Dust, shut down this afternoon in the wake of news that Microsoft had cancelled their version of the game, Kotaku has learned.
Microsoft, however, says they're still working on the upcoming Xbox One reboot.
"Microsoft partnered with Darkside Game Studios in the development of 'Phantom Dust,' but our working relationship has now ended," a Microsoft spokesperson said. "We have great respect for their studio and their work in the industry. While we do not have anything new to share on 'Phantom Dust' at this time, we can confirm that development of the title continues. We look forward to sharing more details on the game as we get closer to release."
Alex S. from Link-Cable writes: "Microsoft’s first console holds a very special in the hearts of many gamers. The ‘beast’ as it was called in some circles absolutely trounced its competitors when it came to raw power allowing near-PC level games to be playable on your TV for the first time ever. But beyond processing power the system is also to thank for pushing the standardization of online gameplay, something which today is a must have, no matter how you decide to play games. So in honor of Microsoft’s big, green tank and to maybe remind Microsoft of which games need to end up on the Xbox One store (wink, wink) we’re counting down the Top 20 Best Xbox Games."
Gamesradar: "Sometimes there’s nothing better than revisiting an Xbox old game you love. Sure, they rarely quite live up to modern standards, but they can be like a comforting digital hug thanks to the familiar surroundings and sense of nostalgia. Other times it’s just nice to treat yourself to a bit of a history lesson for a classic that you’ve missed.
After all, there are so many that deserve a second chance, perhaps all gussied up with an HD touch-up and some extra little treats. So with that in mind I recently decided to pick up Phantom Dust, since a fair few people had raved about the original and how ‘unique’ it is. I figured I’d discover something new by playing it and maybe learn a thing or two about games from that era. But all I did was leave disappointed."
The game was never more than a cult classic, gained some name recognition because of that, MS wanted to play up on that hoping for a "new" online IP while failing to invest into it creatively. That's why the remake died in development and why the remaster died soon after re-release: The original game was never "All That".
alas such is the state of Xbox first party ips... limited being a generous term here. kinda makes their treatment of fable and alan wake more baffling. it's not like they are spoilt with choices
Their worst scoring game (the only one with mediocre score on metacritic), is their only good game? Interesting.
They released Enslaved: Odyssey to the West which is great.
A lot of people played the OG Xbox version when it was free. Sure the games is wired and outdated, but a reboot could be a great game.
They werent happy with the studio that worked on it before and said the project will continue. But we might never see it.
More like MS wanted to add more (single player campaign) without adding addition funds to the project.
They also got another company to make the E3 video for it which was completely different than what the phantom dust remake was going to look and play like.
But ya, blame it on the studio
Yes. The developers had a budget of $5 million to make a multiplayer only reboot, then MS later said they wanted a single player mode and other things but wouldn't increase the budget or timeframe. The developers tried to convince MS they needed at least $7-8 million to make the game. MS refused and 1 week later they cancelled the project. It ruined the developers. Kotaku did a good article on what happened.
https://kotaku.com/how-a-sm...
They had the chance to revive Perfect Dark, they wanted to do Battletoads but MS said no.
The article says what about remastering the original Fable! It was already! They should know this if they are SUPPOSED to be professional writers.
Keep your wallets and accounts happy with these top choices for free gaming on Microsoft's box.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media...
Hopefully those people find a job soon. Damn, i was not expecting that to happen.
"The executives who saw it were impressed and as late as this morning gave our team every indication that the project was on solid ground," said one of those people, who requested anonymity while speaking with Kotaku because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the situation. "Yet we got the phone call today that someone up on high who in all likelihood wasn't even aware of the game in detail shut it down."
Why the hell would the person shut it down like that? This is really weird.
Hearing that the game is still in development makes me think that development by the studio must not have been going very well.
Hopefully they find the right people for the game.
edit: @darkocelet
Yup, I did read that part.
But obviously something wasn't going well or hit a bump and this happened.
I just hope we get a clear answer from either spencer or lobb.
Sad for Darkside Game Studios. If Microsoft was impressed with their work they might offer them jobs in whichever studio takes over the game. I wonder who Microsoft will pass the game onto?
In my opinion they need to give this game to a Japanese developer. What made Phantom Dust so great was that Japanese anime type quality that the game had.
Don't get me wrong, a western developer could do a great job, I just find Japanese games have a certain quirkiness and more absurd action that I love in their games.
I never liked the art this Movie had also. The guy just looked strange...hopefully this character will look completely different.
"The executives who saw it were impressed and as late as this morning gave our team every indication that the project was on solid ground,"
There has to be more to that story...obviously somebody didn't like what they saw. I wouldn't be surprised if MS had another studio working on the same project and they went with that studio instead. Damn shame, I wish these guys the best of luck.