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Microsoft still focusing on 'exciting' new IP despite economy

by Alexander Sliwinski on Feb 9th 2009 10:30AM

Microsoft VP Chris Lewis states that despite the current economic situation, Microsoft -- which has already resorted in layoffs -- is still investing in new intellectual property. Speaking with GI.biz, he expresses that all the "big, mature companies" will continue development in "exciting IP for the future," because this crisis will end eventually. Lewis believes "healthy companies" will be those that invest now for when things get better.

The only thing we find Lewis being overly optimistic about is the weather. He describes the industry as being "in the eye of the [economic] storm right now." To us, from the ground, it appears that storm just hit landfall and started tearing apart livelihoods, but we'll take Lewis' optimism and assume that we're in the calm of the eye and just have the other side to contend with now.

Tags: ip, microsoft, Xbox-360

Reader Comments (26)

by 'exciting'... do they mean more rubbish like 'In the Movies', that Buzz clone..?

*eyetoy clone
scene it was the buzz clone

by 'that buzz clone' I did mean Scene It, just couldn't remember what it was called.. my bad

To be fair, Scene It has been around as a franchise since 2002. It was a series of DVD-based games before it was an Xbox 360 game. I mean, yeah, I guess you could argue that the buzzer controllers were "ripped off" from buzz, but that'd sort of be ignoring the fact that Buzz's controllers themselves were obviously inspired by countless game shows. There's nothing new under the sun in either series.

Yeah I know.. I work somewhere where they sell Scene-It..

Hopefully, whatever these new IPs are, they'll actually been something interesting.. I still remember the games convention they did where they wasted all there time on Scene It, Movies & Lips (my friend likes singing but only in rock band, being she's bit a rocker).. but then MS do seem to trying to get the casual market.. I just felt there must of been something else to show off, as it just felt like filler.. it'll probably be 2010 before we hear of these new IPs...

Scene It's not bad. We busted it out at our last Rock Band party when it started to get a little too late to justify keeping the neighbors up all night with our rockin'. Lips is OK, too. The ability to do co-op or vs. singing is cool for playing with the wife, and the mics are fantastic. The DLC, though? Meh.

I'm not surprised MS is developing new IPs, after all without Halo they wouldn't be where they are now and that was a new IP when the Xbox 1 launched.

Easy for Mr. Lewis to be so lax. There is a waiting list for Vault applications in my neighborhood. People play Fallout 3 in preparation for vault living. Only problem is Pip Boy is fictitious.

:P

For some reason the tempo of your response reminds me of haiku.

I agree with Baby Sea Tuna

was that deliberate?

I wonder who's going to be working on this. Is it going to be internally developed, or just MS published? Honestly, after all the guttings, I don't even know which internal studios are still over there, TBH.

if they are going to use the few studios they have left it would be their best bet, not to mention cheaper

Of course it's "exciting IP for the future" - what software company is going to say they're working on "boring physical property for the past?"

Isn't that both what Mirrors Edge was, and what EA said it was?

Mirrors Edge isnt NEARLY as bad as people say, Sure I only played thru it twice, but I can tell they will expand on the story and features of the next game

EA said Mirror's Edge was "boring physical property for the past?" Even though Mirror's Edge is INTELLECTUAL property? I think I'm going to need a source on that one...

Also, in case anyone missed it, I wasn't making fun of Microsoft's IP, I was making fun of how companies always use buzz words and fluff in their release statements, even though it adds nothing. Like a restaurant describing their food as "scrumptious" with "zesty" sauce, etc. - you might as well leave it out, since no restaurant would describe their food as "craptastic" with "gasoline-flavored" sauce.

I'll believe it when I see it. Otherwise it's just words.

makes sense to me, better to have that NEW IP developed in-house tho. paying third parties for exclusives is getting old and far too costly

The fun thing about paying for 3rd party exclusives, or farming out your IPs to 3rd parties, is that in either case you get to set the terms. An in-house team is a team you have to maintain, through fair weather or foul (too foul, of course, and you can sell them, but its not an easy process). If a 3rd party is developing a property, and you're unsatisfied with their work, you just cut them off, and leave them to face the consequences on their own

It's rather cruel, but more advantageous for the Publisher

the problem with Mirrors Edge is that it descended into a shooter.. with terrible enemy AI.. and then there's the corridors...

I didn't try it after watching my girlfriend play, the very idea of avoiding conflict just bugs me.

So the economy turned bad and everyone is just supposed to throw their hands up in the air and stop working on things?

Hurry, call FEMA.

I didn't expect Microsoft (or any of the big 3 for that matter) to stop making original IP. They need to continue to develop new games in ADDITION to exploiting existing properties in new ways to maintain a difference between themselves and their competitors.

While I was concerned that some Microsoft owned first party and non-owned second party developers left the fold last year or were disolved, I have to believe Microsoft had some sort of plan for OTHER content. For example, we know that Alan Wake is still coming.

Come E3, there should be some new reveals.

how! , they look like their having so much fun!!!

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Microsoft still focusing on 'exciting' new IP despite economy

Reader Comments (26)

Posted: Feb 9th 2009 10:43AM Mazrael said

Posted: Feb 9th 2009 11:35AM SirDigby337 said

Posted: Feb 9th 2009 12:01PM Mazrael said

Posted: Feb 9th 2009 6:54PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Feb 9th 2009 8:23PM Mazrael said

Posted: Feb 9th 2009 9:52PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Feb 9th 2009 10:45AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Feb 9th 2009 10:46AM Negatron said

Posted: Feb 9th 2009 10:58AM baby sea tuna said

Posted: Feb 9th 2009 11:40AM Mr Khan said

Posted: Feb 9th 2009 11:06AM baby sea tuna said

Posted: Feb 9th 2009 11:51AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Feb 9th 2009 11:17AM ducttapeBigSexy said

Posted: Feb 9th 2009 11:28AM PhaseDMA said

Posted: Feb 9th 2009 11:39AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Feb 9th 2009 11:39AM ducttapeBigSexy said

Posted: Feb 9th 2009 11:44AM ducttapeBigSexy said

Posted: Feb 9th 2009 11:25AM Lekko said

Posted: Feb 9th 2009 11:27AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Feb 9th 2009 11:43AM Mr Khan said

Posted: Feb 9th 2009 12:22PM Mazrael said

Posted: Feb 9th 2009 12:58PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Feb 9th 2009 1:13PM FredFredrickson said

Posted: Feb 9th 2009 1:25PM Torpedo Vegas said

Posted: Feb 9th 2009 3:39PM Starcade said

Posted: Feb 9th 2009 4:00PM (Unverified) said

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