Microsoft and Outriders developer People Can Fly sign agreement for a new Xbox game
Just what could it be?
What you need to know
- People Can Fly is a collection of studios responsible for working on a number of games such as Gears of War: Judgement and Outriders.
- According to a new financial document shared by People Can Fly, the developers are partnering up with Microsoft to develop a new video game codenamed Project Maverick.
- The game will have an estimated budget of $30-50 million, but little else is known.
It's extremely early days, but it looks like a new Xbox exclusive game is entering development.
People Can Fly, the team behind games such as Gears of War: Judgement and Outriders, shared on Wednesday that the company has entered an agreement with Microsoft to develop a new video game based on a work-for-hire contract. The game, codenamed Project Maverick, is based on the "intellectual property rights owned by the publisher" and will be developed with a budget of $30-50 million.
Little else is known at this time. People Can Fly has expanded significantly in the last couple of years, growing with multiple studios around the world with seven games currently in development across over 600 staff.
In our review of Outriders, my colleague Miles Dompier wrote that "The moments of undeniable greatness buried under the rough layers of middling sci-fi exposition are why I see myself continuing to play this game for quite some time."
Windows Central's take
It's always great to see Microsoft investing in new games, even shortly after a stellar Xbox Games Showcase. People Can Fly's history makes this very interesting, and it's certainly possible that this game could be some kind of Gears of War spinoff. However, considering that Microsoft owns all IP published by Xbox Game Studios, it's also possible this is something completely new.
Regardless, while interesting, It's extremely early days, so I'd recommend putting this out of your mind for the most part, as it'll be some years before we get any kind of meaningful update.
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Samuel Tolbert is a freelance writer covering gaming news, previews, reviews, interviews and different aspects of the gaming industry, specifically focusing on Xbox and PC gaming on Windows Central. You can find him on Twitter @SamuelTolbert.