Microsoft today announced that several top publishers have announced their support of Project Natal. These include Activision Blizzard, Bethsoft, Capcom, Disney Interactive, Electronic Arts, Konami, MTV Games, Namco Bandai, Sega, Square Enix, THQ and Ubisoft.
“Project Natal gives the industry’s creators and storytellers the freedom to dream of new experiences and to tell stories never before possible,” said Don Mattrick, senior vice president for the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft Corp. “The support of these creative partners testifies to the excitement that Project Natal is generating among the most innovative minds in the industry, and is proof that Xbox 360 not only offers the best games and entertainment today, but will lead with innovation and new ways to have fun in the future.”
These announcements come at the beginning of the Tokyo Game Show, though any games that are shown off are likely to be in rudimentary form since the development kits were delivered in early June 2009.
“I strongly feel that Project Natal will expand the possibilities of gaming. It’s yet another component that adds to the appeal of Xbox 360 and demonstrates to users the broad level of entertainment it provides,” said Keiji Inafune, managing corporate officer and head of Research & Development Management Group at Capcom. “Personally, I too am extremely excited about Project Natal. It’s really going to stir up our creative spirits. I think it’s going to bring new ways to play and new surprises to Xbox 360 fans and help further the development of completely original content. Project Natal is definitely something people should look out for.”
“Microsoft Project Natal could fundamentally change the way players experience sports games,” said EA Sports President Peter Moore. “At EA, some of our top development teams are experimenting with these tools with the goal of delivering a completely fresh take on genres like sports and racing.”
Additionally, Microsoft confirmed their own extensive work on Project Natal, hinted at in various job postings.
“Project Natal is enabling our team of developers to create experiences we couldn’t have accomplished before,” said Phil Spencer, corporate vice president, Microsoft Game Studios. “Microsoft Game Studios will help lead the way in bringing Project Natal to life.”
