Xbox 360 to shed "hardcore" gaming image: MGS head
Kim says Microsoft wants to expand the 360's audience beyond hardcore gamers and into the mainstream. Microsoft's main competitors in the console gaming space, Nintendo and Sony, have already found success in attracting non-traditional gamers with titles such as Nintendogs for the DS and the Singstar and Buzz series for PlayStation 2. i "The positioning of the platform is very different now. We were so paranoid that people knew the Xbox was a hardcore gaming machine in the first generation that we really alienated, or closed off, a lot of our opportunity. If you've seen the brand ads now for 360 it's completely different--it's much more approachable," Kim said. While he's happy for the Xbox to lose some of its hardcore image, Kim says Microsoft is confident the moves into a broader audience won't alienate its traditional audience.
Kim cited Viva Pinata as a prime example of the type of game which will lead the Xbox 360 into the future. Viva Pinata, which is being produced by MGS and is set for release later this year, is a part Pokemon, part Harvest Moon-type game where players tend a virtual garden with the aim of attracting and retaining colorful Pinata creatures. MGS is the first-party publisher for both Xbox and Windows PC games. The publisher, in collaboration with other internal studio partners, has been responsible for such hits as Halo 2, Fable, Forza Motorsport, Kameo, Perfect Dark Zero and more. | ||||||||
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