There may not be (m)any games that target the core gamer in Kinect’s early November launch line-up, but that will change, Microsoft assures. According to Albert Penello, senior director of global marketing for Xbox 360, the first wave of titles is all about reaching new audiences.

“At no point have we ever said, ‘I don’t have any interest in having core games come out onKinect,’” he explains. “We wanted to come out and make a statement that said, ‘We want to try and do something different than the Wii, different than wands and hands, something that’s magical, that takes away the abstraction, and I want a bunch of new types of games created.’”

Core games making use of the device are coming, he adds, but it won’t be Halo with added Kinect functionality; it’ll be something built specifically for the device.

“I don’t want to see Halo band-aided into Kinect, because Halo is a controller game, and I think that would be not what we’re trying to achieve. I want to see what a new type of experience would be.”

“And you’re just seeing the first generation of stuff. So, this is really about doing an ‘and’ thing for us. Getting new types of genres, new types of customers, and then continuing to serve the core with great games.”

Penello’s words echo those of Microsoft senior VP of interactive entertainment Don Mattrick, and more recently SEGA West president Mike Hayes who says developers simply haven’t had enough hands-on time with the device to make use of it in more complex games.

“I think that those launch titles are great, but the second wave of titles is where the real greatness comes,” Fable man Peter Molyneyx has also said.

http://www.thatvideogameblog.com/2010/06/24/kinect-about-getting-new-audiences-core-gamer-to-be-catered-to-later

Posted: Jun 25, 2010 12:13 pm