Welcome to our weekly ICYMI for Xbox news!
We'll still be posting major Xbox announcements in the main feed, but I'll be collecting some of the more nuanced news, rumours and talking points into one handy post every weekend!
So without further ado, here's our latest edition of This Week in Xbox One News.
Resident Evil 2 Remake is on the way
Capcom hasn't been shy about expressing the desire to remake more games from its back catalogue. The veteran publishing company recently posted strong quarterly financials, owing in part to Resident Evil Revelations 2, a Resident Evil 6 arcade machine and the re-release of the Resident Evil 1 Gamecube remake. We now have an idea of what we can expect next.
Capcom posted a coy message on their Facebook page a few days ago, asking fans whether or not they'd be interested in a Resident Evil 2 remake.
Fast forward to a day later, and a Capcom "R&D" team member appeared to thank fans for their enthusiasm. The developer known as "H" then posted an image purporting to document a Resident Evil 2 (Biohazard 2 in Japan) remake product pitch to the Capcom higher-ups.
The timing of the Facebook posts smell of publicity stunt to this cynical writer, but regardless, a Resident Evil 2 remake appears to be happening. Considering the success of Resident Evil 1's remake re-release, Capcom would be crazy not to give Resident Evil 2 (and 3) the same treatment.
Scalebound developer fires off angry tweets about Microsoft will appear on stage at Gamescom 2015
Scalebound gameplay is likely one of Microsoft's big reveals for Gamescom 2015. The game is being developed by Platinum Games, who have made a strong name for themselves as a third-party dev. The company built Bayonetta 2 exclusively for Nintendo, they built Metal Gear Rising for Konami and are also working on a game based on the Transformers IP.
Microsoft bought Platinum Games in to build Scalebound, a mysterious game about which there's little information. The project is being led by Hideki Kamiya, famed for Resident Evil, Devil May Cry and blocking lots of people on Twitter. Speaking of which, Kamiya recently launched a furious tirade against Microsoft on the same micro-blogging platform. The tweets were since deleted, but not before keen NeoGAF users screen-capped and translated: "Those s--ts at MS... are they f---ing with me...?" Hideki Kamiya followed up the tweet, this time stating in English that he didn't want to be a "prop" for the Xbox briefing:
Presumably Kamiya was unhappy about the stage show arrangements, which is set to go live on Tuesday, August 4th (4:00 p.m. CEST / 10:00 a.m. EDT). All of the above tweets have since been deleted. After the initial story had broken, Aaron Greenberg took to Twitter to show Hideki Kamiya and Phil Spencer happily taking part in rehearsals. Kamiya is also sporting a microphone, indicating that he's likely not a prop after all.
I guess the falling out was nowhere near on the same scale as Kojima and Konami!
Tetsuya Nomura plans "dramatic changes" to Final Fantasy VII's combat
The FFVII remake could have wildly different combat to the original according to the game's director. In an interview with GamesRadar, Tetsuya Nomura outlined some of his plans to remake the classic RPG. Nomura notes that there will be "dramatic changes", but clarifies that FF7 will remain "recognisable".
"And of course, that being said we want to clarify: We're not going to be changing it into a shooter or something like that. We are going to be bringing dramatic changes, but we want to make sure it's still recognisable."
Nomura has stated previously that if they were to simply update the visuals, they wouldn't need him to direct. Speaking of visuals, he also noted that the team would be looking at the Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children movie for inspiration. Given the polarising combat of Final Fantasy XII, XIII and XV, Nomura's comments might not illicit a great deal of confidence. FFVII will enjoy a period of exclusivity on PS4 before hitting Xbox One, although the latter version hasn't been formally confirmed.
Speaking of Final Fantasy XII, there are rumours that it could also be on Square Enix's re-release radar.
Phil Spencer cuts third-party exclusivity deals in favour of first-party development
Phil Spencer attended the ChinaJoy event this week. While there, he outlined a desire to reduce third-party content deals in favour of investing in first-party franchises. Dualshockers translated the interview, which was originally posted in Gamecore:
"My Strategy is more around our own first party franchises, and investing in franchises that we own, and probably fewer exclusive deals for third party content. I want to have strong third party relations, but paying for many third party exclusives isn't our long term strategy.This year, the fact that we're shipping Halo 5, Gears of War, Forza 6, Fable, we can only do that and build that best line-up we've ever seen really on the back of franchises that we own. It's great to have Tomb Raider as part of our line-up, but investing in first party, you'll see more of that at Gamescom next week, is really core to our strategy."
There's another successful company that banks heavily on its first-party content. That company is Nintendo. Despite misfiring on hardware since, well, forever, Nintendo remains one of the largest companies because its exclusive games and IP are so powerful. If Phil Spencer can produce a similarly beloved content line-up for Xbox, the long-term benefits will be unbeatable.
ICYMI - Some of Windows Central's biggest Xbox articles of the week
- How to use Game DVR in the Windows 10 Xbox app to record games and more
- Here are some of the best Xbox enabled Windows 10 Store games
- EA Access members on Xbox One can check out the EA Sports Hockey League beta
- There are now over 100,000 Xbox Live Achievements to unlock
- Worms WMD set to blow up Xbox One and PC in early 2016
- Ubisoft's Zombi coming to Xbox One and PC with revamped graphics
- Metal Gear Solid composer offers insight into the split between Hideo Kojima and Konami
- Square Enix CEO praises Microsoft's commitment to Rise of the Tomb Raider and discusses controversy in new interview
New Xbox One game releases for the week ending Aug 2nd, 2015
Magic Duels - Card Game - Stainless Games Ltd.
"Immerse yourself in the world of Magic: The Gathering's exciting new Origins campaign as you play through the stories of five iconic Planeswalkers."
Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist - Card Game - Other Ocean Interactive / Konami
"Relive past Dueling glory against Yu-Gi-Oh! characters from the past and present! Compete against other players online with your custom deck, and then challenge them in Battle Pack Draft and Sealed Play!."
Squid Hero for Kinect - Card Game - Virtual Air Guitar Company
"Squid Hero saves the planet from a new ice age! Travel across the world on this cheery and colorful adventure for all ages, using the power of Kinect to smash thousands of encroaching chunks of ice. Bring a friend or family member along!"
World of Tanks - Tank Shooter - Wargaming.net
"Take command of history's most powerful tanks and experience the intensity of tank combat on console like never before. Charge into the fray and engage in epic 15-v-15 multiplayer tank battles!"
And that's a wrap!
We're heading out to Gamescom in Germany next week to check out all the latest Xbox and Windows 10 gaming announcements. We'll be going hands-on, posting our impressions and talking to developers from across the board. Are there any particular games you'd like to see us check out? Hit the comments!
