GDC: Blizzard in talks with Microsoft about developing the next Xbox

By Games Industry.biz Published 25 March, 2009

Pardo explains why there's no WOW for 360.

Blizzard's Rob Pardo has confirmed his company has had talks with Microsoft about the successor to Xbox 360.

Pardo was speaking at the Luminaries Lunch held at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, and attended by GamesIndustry.biz. He would only state that Blizzard is actively in discussions with Microsoft - seeming to confirm the development process for new console hardware is underway.

Other developers at the lunch said they have not spoken to either Microsoft or Sony about future plans. This has raised concerns that content isn't a priority for format holders as they plan the next-generation of home machines.

"How many designers in the games industry do you think they are rounding up to [talk to], because this is going to make or break them this time around," said Acclaim's David Perry.

"I'm not aware that they are putting a big amount of effort into finding out how to make the games. The people who are actually physically going to make the games are all going to get a surprise."

Warren Spector, boss of Disney's Junction Point Studios and responsible for classic titles such as Deus Ex, said he believes format holders are too concerned with the wider entertainment market to focus on games.

"I get the impression they're focusing on owning the living room," he said. "One device that lets you watch movies, television and play games and music and all that stuff.

"They're so focused on that that I'm not even sure they're thinking about the games that are going to come out. Which is kind of crazy," he added.

Pardo said that so far there's been a good reason why Blizzard titles such as World of Warcraft haven't appeared on home consoles - the hardware hasn't been specifically designed to suit some genres.

"There are are so many games like we make at Blizzard that we don't take to consoles because they don't support the input device, and you end up with crappy ports. That's why RTS games never do well on consoles," he said.

"If I was them, I'd be sitting around trying to figure out what's a cool input device that supports all types of new kinds of games."

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Comments (29) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • imamazed #1 3 years ago

    article fail

  • spliffhead #2 3 years ago

    Whoops where did that one go?

    X720 = Media centre PC, wireless keyboard etc etc

    No complaints from me if it's under £200.

    And fully back compatible and upscalable on older games please Bill G.
    Edited by 1 at 25/03/09 @ 23:48

  • Xerx3s #3 3 years ago

    Diablo 3 on consoles?

  • Ryze #4 3 years ago

    ACCURATE - MOTION - POINTER.

    PLENTY - OF - INTEGRATED - FLASH (24GB+) & LARGE HDD OPTION.

    BLUETOOTH INTEGRATION & SUPPORT FOR USING PHONES AS INPUT DEVICES FOR TEXT ENTRY.

    There you go - more free consultancy. Now include plenty of RAM and go ahead and deliver the best games to the living room.

    ryz

  • R.P_McMurphy #5 3 years ago

    "Whoops where did that one go?

    X720 = Media centre PC, wireless keyboard etc etc

    No complaints from me if it's under £200.

    And fully back compatible and upscalable on older games please Bill G."

    Never happening.

  • Daikon #6 3 years ago

    "There are are so many games like we make at Blizzard that we don't take to consoles because they don't support the input device, and you end up with crappy ports. That's why RTS games never do well on consoles," he said.

    Which is also why FPS games never do well on consoles.
    Oh, wait...

  • wired009 #7 3 years ago

    The answer is so obvious, simple, and cost effective. Like spliffhead mentioned, all they have to do is support PC mouse and keyboard peripherals. They don't even need to design new hardware for that. Provide ample memory, and presto! RTS and MMOs for Xbox3. I wonder if it will play Blu-Ray.

  • des #8 3 years ago

    That answer is wrong,unless mouse and keyboard are sold together with console.
    It needs to be sold with the console...

    Maybe some kind of touch sensitive surface,together with "normal" controllers.

  • Optimaximal #9 3 years ago

    >Which is also why FPS games never do well on consoles.
    >Oh, wait...

    In all fairness, they did basically alter how the entire FPS genre worked so that it fitted the consoles, rather than the other way around.
    Edited by 1 at 26/03/09 @ 07:21

  • Freek #10 3 years ago

    There's a good reason there's no keyboard/mouse support for X360 (and barely any on the PS3). Most gamers sit on a couch when they play with their consoles, they don't want these accessories.

  • Moz #11 3 years ago

    given how cheap small touch screens are now, surely the best option is touch screen in the middle of the controller. You then put the MMO action bar onto the touch screen.

    It's surely the best way of allowing more buttons on a controller without added an extra load of generic button that you then need to remeber the letter/shape of.

    --------

    The big problem you have with games like WOW is how you handle add-ons and macros on the console version. though i can see MS Sony seeing it as a perfect opertunity for more micro transactions.

  • Darren #12 3 years ago

    I've got this horrible, horrible feeling that the next Xbox will be a massive disappointment. For one think, Microsoft seem keen to promote digital downloads so the machine may not even have an optical drive which means everything is dependent on the quality of your internet connection. If Microsoft include a Blu-ray Drive then that's admission that they were wrong about the lifespan of optical media because they'd be actually helping to prolong its life-span.

  • [TR] #13 3 years ago

    "I get the impression they're focusing on owning the living room," he said. "One device that lets you watch movies, television and play games and music and all that stuff.
    They're so focused on that that I'm not even sure they're thinking about the games that are going to come out. Which is kind of crazy"

    I understand what he's saying, but on the other hand, people do want that. If you're going to buy a fairly powerful system for gaming, why not have some other capabilities built-in? It's not just the platform holders shoving it down our throats.

    Also, if developers are concerned with input methods they should pressure manufacturers to include or allow them to include support for keyboard and mouse. It should be fairly simple and I don't see the need to re-invent the wheel. If they're thinking people may not want to use KB+mouse with a console, maybe they should consider that it's a little less bulky, not to mention expensive, than buying a PC because that's the only place where they feel they have the correct input methods.
    Edited by 1 at 26/03/09 @ 09:22

  • thenastypasty #14 3 years ago

    I think its good that MS are talking to different types of developers,i for one am really hoping that the next generation has two options at retail one with a massive hdd for downloads only and the other to use memory sticks with games on.

  • ps3owner #15 3 years ago

    make it free to play online. I might consider buying one then. Can't be arsed to pay if I only play once a month/week.

  • metalangel #16 3 years ago

    Nobody seems to care about the little chat keyboard that clips onto the 360 controller, enabling easy typing whilst on the couch?

    Or that you can use a wireless USB keyboard? Hell, my Mac's keyboard worked just fine.

  • Miths #17 3 years ago

    "There's a good reason there's no keyboard/mouse support for X360 (and barely any on the PS3). Most gamers sit on a couch when they play with their consoles, they don't want these accessories."

    Exactly. If I were forced to use keyboard/mouse with my console, I would just walk over to my PC instead of trying to rearrange my living room furniture to find a comfortable way of placing input devices.
    I actually have a Bluetooth keyboard with integrated touchpad for my PS3 - I doubt I've even used it for an hour total over the last year (entering personal data when signing up for PSN and a few brief web browsing sessions). There's just no way I'm gonna fiddle around with a keyboard in my lap when my PC is just across the room.

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #18 3 years ago

    surely the best option is touch screen in the middle of the controller

    I've thought that in the past. But have you ever tried playing an RTS using the touchpad on a laptop? It doesn't work awfully well. For FPS games it's even worse

    Although if you've got access to buttons your other hand is holding, then it might be a bit more useful.

    The other alternative is the LED/Camera wiimote combination. But I, for one, find it a bit tiring pointing the wiimote up at the screen all the time. And MS would need to find a way of combining a motion/pointer controller with a regular joypad so they don't end up alienating people who like 'proper' games like the wii has.


    Of course, a wireless optical mouse would work as a pointer device, too. Modern ones work perfectly well on a couch arm or your lap, too. You can't use them whilst standing up, though. I spoke to someone relatively high up in the xbox group a couple of years ago (I think it was Phil Spencer) and they seemed really down on mice.

  • Arwin #19 3 years ago

    "Nobody seems to care about the little chat keyboard that clips onto the 360 controller, enabling easy typing whilst on the couch?"

    The PS3 equivalent even has touch-pad functionality included into it (through a nifty double use of the buttons). No idea if that would work for RTS games though.

  • Vin #20 3 years ago

    "That's why RTS games never do well on consoles".

    That's a big bag of wrong. Ensemble proved otherwise.

  • EvilBob_leeds #21 3 years ago

    "about developing the next Xbox"

    Am I missing the point here or is that title not stunningly misleading - should be

    "about developing for the next Xbox"

    Not sure about RTSs but Diablo could definately work.

  • steviepunk #22 3 years ago

    "I think its good that MS are talking to different types of developers,i for one am really hoping that the next generation has two options at retail one with a massive hdd for downloads only and the other to use memory sticks with games on."

    That sounds realistic, game should easily ship on a 32GB SD card, though including a card reader in both versions of the console would seem sensible and not very costly. I don't see any reason why the only differentiation between SKUs of the console would not just be in the HDD size.

    However, I have a feeling that both MS and Sony are both going to have their next consoles as 'updates' of their existing ones - so they will have the same family of CPU, GPU and optical drive (though presumably/hopefully, quiet and faster), which will make backward compatibility straight forward backward. It could even help reduce dev costs initially, as games could be made to run on both platforms, with enhanced graphics, etc on the newer version of the console. With the issues Sony have had getting the PS3 moving, and the general economic climate, I do think that both of them will be trying to make their next gen consoles as easy for people to buy into as possible (cost, game compatibility) - how many people would hesitate to upgrade if their Rock Band songs, or collection of current downloaded games will not work on the new console.

  • steviepunk #23 3 years ago

    @EvilBob_leeds - the article is probably correct, sounds like they are speaking to Microsoft to help them develop the next xbox to be able to support games like WOW and Starcraft more easily - though that would likely lead to your corrected statement being correct as well...

    @Vin - Maybe, there will also be debate as to whether it was the Halo name that sold it. would it have sold nearly a well if it was no Halo based?

  • Cronan #24 3 years ago

    Is it just me, or does Pardo come across as a dick?

  • GamesConnoisseur #25 3 years ago

    If I was developing new generation of console would look to expand the downloadable side of it, Steam and Blizzard being on board would be heaven sent and yet be able to sell to the console crowd as well as being usable for the mass market (casual).

    Optical medium provided for backward compt but not the main avenue of delivering software, second hand games are diluting the profits of all publishers and so they would jump at an opportunity to maintain their profitability.

  • BillyBrush #26 3 years ago

    Barrel well and truly scraped

  • Ryze #27 3 years ago

    Hopefully - if they don't want to use Blu-ray - they'll just use the HD DVD standard discs. As mentioned by Tosh for the past few years, DVD plants can press them relatively easily and I'm pretty sure that the tech is cheap to manufature by now.

    No need to use them for movies - just data. Or they could just use Blu-Ray.


    But yes - built in flash and an accurate motion pointer. Teh standard 360 controller can live on, and can be hled in the left hand with the pointer in the right. The pointer should be ergonomic, with a right analogue stick on it, that it can be used to replicate all of the right-hand functions of the 360 pad - especially moving the bloody camera.

    I always thought that using accurate tilt controls would be good enough to replace a 'look' function from the mouse or right-stick.

    I've not got any kit with which I can try this though. Apparently the Wiimote is shit and can't even nearly attempt this.

    I wonder if the SIXAXIS / Dual Shock 3 could be used this way. I doubt...

  • wired009 #28 3 years ago

    I still stand by keyboard and mouse for RTS. With MMOs the issue is more about handling all the interface options and not speed of interaction. That can be resolved very easily by mapping actions to the buttons and allowing you to scroll through different button maps using the joystick button or shoulder buttons.
    @des: "It needs to be sold with the console... "
    Why?
    @Freek: "Most gamers sit on a couch when they play with their consoles, they don't want these accessories."
    Guitar Hero and Rock Band (not to mention corded controllers) have shown that you can play with cords a comfortable distance from the console. There's also wireless. So you still need a place to rest those thing, but people can get creative (pillow, lap, phonebook).
    @N@: "have an accurate pointing device, a bit like the Wiimote, only more refined. "
    Motion sensing devices are overrated. If they want to incorporate it into the controller, that's fine, but don't turn the Nextbox into a Wii.
    Edited by 1 at 27/03/09 @ 01:27

  • Lemming81 #29 3 years ago

    "If I was them, I'd be sitting around trying to figure out what's a cool input device that supports all types of new kinds of games."

    You meana keyboard and mouse that is still yet to be beaten?