Earlier this year, Hitman developer IO Interactive finally pulled back the curtain on its upcoming RPG known as "Project Fantasy", which is described by the studio as a "bold new fantasy RPG" that's currently in development.
A couple of years prior to the announcement, Windows Central's Jez Corden had suggested the game (known at the time as "Project Dragon") might be an Xbox exclusive, but there was no official confirmation earlier this year.
However, as part of newly released documents from the ongoing FTC hearing, it's been revealed that "Project Dragon" was indeed being considered as an Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC exclusive back in 2021.
The game is listed in one of the documents as follows:
- Project Dragon (X|S, PC) - RPG Shooter
It sounds like we could be looking at another Xbox exclusive here, then, although it's important to reiterate that the document in question is from 2021, and IO Interactive never mentioned any exclusivity as part of March 2023's announcement. Plans can change, especially over the course of a few years!
We could be waiting a while until there's confirmation anyway, as the game's development has only recently begun.
"We are building a new world, a new IP – an online fantasy RPG. A world and a game built from the core to entertain players and expand for many years to come. It feels familiar, yet at the same time IOI is going on a journey unlike any we have been on before."
"This is just the start of our journey into this new world we are making. We hope you sense the warmth, the danger, the togetherness, and the heart we put into it…"
Looking forward to this? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments section below.
[source files.cand.uscourts.gov]
Comments 30
If this is true, I can see a lot of really, really angry people in certain circles of the internet: probably continue to accuse Microsoft of using money to dominate the market.
Though, some of the e-mails coming from Microsoft haven't exactly painted a good picture for their defense of not trying to monopolize the market.
Win or lose, I have a feeling the things discovered during these FTC hearings could have a huge impact on the relationship between Sony and Microsoft.
Also, let's not forget that back in 2019, Microsoft and Sony went into a strategic partnership to advance cloud gaming and AI:
“The two companies will explore joint development of future cloud solutions in Microsoft Azure to support their respective game and content-streaming services,”
Am not sure about this. IO has done an amazing job in recent years with the Hitman Series and am not sure how that would translate into a fantasy RPG.
Heck even Microsoft mentions it as one of the risks of acquiring IO that, "Company has not been able to ship a successful new original IP since Hitman and has not been able
to repeat its success through its other games such as Kane & Lynch and Mini Ninjas".
Personally don't really care about the exclusivity but more interested to see what they do with the game.
@GamingFan4Lyf i’m extremely interested in how things will go forward when the dust settles. Will Xbox pivot to third party exclusives like Playstation does? Or will the acquisitions continue? And if even Playstation try to acquire someone will there be more scrutiny after this? This whole trial is really fascinating in that way.
@GamingFan4Lyf I think the thing is, regardless of whether they get ABK or not, MS isn't stopping. I really, truly feel like a reality where MS gets ABK and the games are largely still multiplatform is probably a better outcome for a platform like PS, than MS continuing to buy smaller studios like Ninja Theory and Obsidian. There is basically no argument for regulators to block a smaller single studio's purchase, not right now anyway. However, I think in ways huge swaths of smaller studios will have larger competitive effects in the console space, and a pain far more obvious to PS players than this ABK deal.
@FraserG are we going to get PureXbox's spin on the Matt Booty 'Microsoft had intended to "spend Sony out of business" ' email? Gotta be honest I have some popcorn at the ready and am looking forward to seeing the mental gymnastics in the comments on that one.
@SplooshDmg I kind of feel like Microsoft is positioning itself to exit the console space all together.
ABK is that key. It keeps Microsoft in the gaming space, but as a third-party publisher rather than a console maker.
I think Bethesda was an attempt to sway favor that didn't pay off.
I feel like if Microsoft makes any "console" going forward, it will just be a small form-factor gaming PC that runs Windows.
No more R&D for dedicated consoles to be spent. Just sell customizable gaming rig that can run Intel/AMD and Nvidia.
Microsoft will expand digital purchases from console over the PC Microsoft Store for easy downloading (and to appease the masses).
Unfortunately, that leaves Sony unchecked. But I just don't see Microsoft continuing to hemorrhage money with little gains: Microsoft is partly to blame for that - it definitely lost sight of what people wanted with the X1.
One could look to Nintendo as a source of inspiration, but, unlike Nintendo, gaming isn't Microsoft's main bread and butter. It doesn't need gaming to survive. It's a trillion dollar company for reasons outside Xbox Game Studios.
Nintendo needed a hit to survive as a company. Microsoft can just "trim fat".
@K1LLEGAL I hear you. I personally don't care either way if this deal goes through or not.
I just wanted Diablo series on Game Pass. But the Diablo Bundle goes on sale so often, that even if this all falls through, I'll just get the Bundle on the cheap around the holidays.
I couldn't care less about Call of Duty.
Maybe having a WoW subscription as part of being a Game Pass Ultimate subscriber would be nice...but I hear that game is a shadow of it's former self.
What I am more interested in is the aftermath. I don't foresee Doomsday as others seem to if it does go through. But I do see huge implications if it doesn't.
Microsoft is going to be very angry.
Activision will also be very angry.
For Microsoft, what strategic moves will it pull off to try to gain ground in gaming?
What does an Activision/Sony relationship look like?
@GamingFan4Lyf Honestly, at this stage, it's hard to tell. There was an internal slide taken from MS that has been presented in this case showing the three phases of Game Pass. Phase 1 was obviously deals, deals, deals! Phase 2 was strengthening retention. Now we're probably onto Phase 3 which is maximizing returns. Phil had made the comment before that Xbox has to make a profit, but I'm not entirely convinced it has been through these first two phases of Game Pass. I do think they've probably been investing heavily into growth and maybe not seeing returns on it yet. However, that said, I think this is why MS is so interested in ABK, in particular. Mobile and PC. Which like you just mentioned, don't require them to develop a special box for. They could probably just turn course on a dime and decide to stop making consoles and still rake in money.
@SplooshDmg "They could probably just turn course on a dime and decide to stop making consoles and still rake in money."
Ding, ding!
@GamingFan4Lyf
Microsoft has plenty of money to "hemorrhage" the two key differences between Sony and Microsoft:
Microsoft is worth over $1 trillion dollars
Sony is worth $115 billion
Microsoft's other divisions are mostly doing very well
Microsoft in 2022 has profits of $135 billion (up 7%)
Sony's other divisions are hurting bad (When's the last time you bought a Sony TV, BluRay Player or Cellphone?)
@ZuneTattooGuy Sure Microsoft has plenty of money, but unlike Sony and Nintendo, Microsoft can "take it or leave it" with gaming.
If continuing to develop dedicated consoles has negative ROI, Microsoft will stop it and just sell games.
Which leaves Sony unchecked in the "premium" console market.
@themightyant I really have no horse in this race other than I want ABK to have new management, but I'll give it a shot: it's obvious hyperbole. You would have to be delusional to think you could simply spend Sony out of business. They're the industry leader and their first party content alone has been miles above anything Xbox has been putting out. They could give everyone a free Xbox and people would still buy PS5s.
@Thaliard
I think Sony has boiled their exclusives into 3rd person action adventure games and they don't have any diversity in their line up. Microsoft has been quite for years but they have bought a great collection of studios and with the last showcase they are starting to show us a small fragment of their overall plan. I think in the upcoming couple of years they are going to be the place to come if you want interesting exclusives and the best system to play 3rd party games
@GamingFan4Lyf
The reason Sega backed out of the market place is they didn't have enough money to keep building consoles. Microsoft is in this for the long haul and have the wallet to keep going
Thaliard wrote:
Talking of hyperbole Of course SOME would, brand loyalty, locked into an ecosystem and all that. But it would move the needle significantly in Xbox's favour which is likely what Booty really meant. Though it is interesting he says they abandoned that plan... and then spent $76+ billion on M&A's. Actions speak louder than words Matt!
Regardless my comment was deliberately OTT too, if it wasn't clear. Just tired of the fanboys holding the two companies to different standards and wanted to see them squirm on this one, having pushed back so hard against similar Sony emails.
Sadly if you want ABK to have new management I don't think that is going to happen under Microsoft. It didn't with Zenimax or other studios they acquired, most of the management structure stayed the same or was folded into Xbox. At most Kotick might go and maybe Lulu might take the payday she's clearly been hounding after and jump ship most others will likely remain to run ABK.
The company lost me at "ONLINE"...
I would love to see what they would do with a RPG. Don’t care if it is exclusive or not… if every game was a RPG then the world would be a unicorn on a rainbow!
I thought Microsoft don't do AAA third party exclusive deals. If this is true I hope a few people shut up about Final Fantasy 7R/16 being Playstation exclusive.
Jim Ryan claimed he doesn't like exclusivity in the FTC trial. What a joke.
In one of xbox2 podcast, Jez said he leaked that wutang game too early and that it is no longer going to be xbox exclusive. I think it's the same for this. MS were in early talks with both these game to be xbox exclusive and fell through after Jez leaked both of them.
@UltimateOtaku91 Difference is this is a new IP unlike Final Fantasy which has been around since the 80's.
@Solidchief Final Fantasy has been on playstation day one since 4, and 1-16 have all released on playstation consoles since. Nintendo and Microsoft have not had all the final fantasy games not just 7Remake or 16. If anything Final Fantasy as a series since 1991 has been seen as a playstation legacy IP, they just dont own it.
@UltimateOtaku91 I think you mean FF7 as 1-6 were on Nintendo consoles. & PlayStation 1 launched in 1993. FF7 launched in 1997.
@cragis0001 Number 4 is on Playstation 1 but must of released a lot later then.
@UltimateOtaku91
Nintendo and Microsoft have not had all the final fantasy games not just 7Remake or 16. If anything Final Fantasy as a series since 1991 has been seen as a playstation legacy IP, they just dont own it
That is a very peculiar way to look at things. Using your point of view to justify the FF16 and FF7R Sony exclusivity, one can also argue that future Elder Scrolls games can be Xbox/PC exclusive because ES Morrowind never released on Sony’s consoles. Which would be a rather odd thing to say.
@Sol4ris Well tbf people were saying Bethesda and Xbox were close due to releasing games on the xbox back in the day but not on Playstation. And we all know the next elder scrolls won't be on playstation as well. Same with dragon quest I'd consider that a Nintendo legacy IP with how many games they had exclusive of that series.
@GamingFan4Lyf I doubt the whole thing FTC hearings is going to have any impact on the relationship between Sony and Microsoft.
This whole thing is only between their gaming division. Business will continue as usual for their parent companies. The real question is Jim Ryan relationship with Parent company Sony going forward.
@ZuneTattooGuy Sony's first party titles all pretty much look and play the same. I enjoyed the Last of Us, Days Gone and Horizon's story's but they are in alot of ways just clones of each other.
@Sol4ris Playstation wasn't even out in 91.
@UltimateOtaku91 2002 in the EU so would explain why I never realised it ever released. Me bad sorry.
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