Does anyone remember Phantom Dust? Anyone? Bueller? It was released back in 2004/2005 for the original Xbox, and remains a bit of a cult hit to this day. That's a fact not lost on Microsoft Studio boss Phil Spencer, who casually dropped it into a conversation about what Xbox has up its sleeve next in the battle to win hearts and minds in Japan with the Xbox One.
In an interview with Kotaku, Spencer again touched upon the company's long term plans for conquering Japan, traditionally a market that has never really warmed to the Xbox brand. "I've been a big fan of our partnerships in Japan," he said. "Futatsugi just finished Crimson Dragon, and I'm proud of what he was able to do. We're talking to him about what we might want to do next with him.
"There's some interest out there in some older [intellectual property]. Phantom Dust has come up around whether we would want to reboot that franchise. It's a discussion right now; there's nothing signed. But we're talking. It does seem like there's a lot of interest around that. And we have a good long relationship with him and I think that would be good."
Whilst Crimson Dragon failed to impress, Phantom Dust, which was an original Xbox game directed by Futatsugi, still brings back fond memories for many players. I've never had the pleasure, but it sounds interesting; a card-based action strategy title where you engage in wicked sweet psionic battles.
"We have signed some things in Japan that we haven't announced that we'll announce in... '14 so that people get to hear about support in Japan," Spencer continued. He also mentioned to Kotaku that these releases would be seen as "full Japanese games," not just small downloadable titles.
"The creative teams in Japan have always been top notch," Spencer went on. "And yeah, you're right that we've never been the top console in Japan, but the support that we've received, either from publishers like with Capcom and Dead Rising or developers is always great.
"We kicked off our independent developer program when were at Tokyo Game Show and saw some top talent walk through the door, so I think you'll see some indies too ... I'm committed to the development there."
http://www.oxm.co.uk/67054/phantom-dust-reboot-in-discussion-for-xbox-one-says-microsoft-studios-boss/
