Halo in September, New Xbox in 2012?

EGM sat down for a long talk with Microsoft's Shane Kim, Corporate Vice President. Among other things they discuss the unbuyability of the Bioware company (they asked and were rebuffed), plans for the next next-gen game console (already in the works, possibly coming in 2012), and the timing for the release of Halo 3. "We returned to discussing Microsoft's first party portfolio for 2007. With Grand Theft Auto IV due in mid-October, Microsoft has to figure out when Halo 3 and Project Gotham Racing 4 fit into the release calendar. Kim confirmed that PGR4 was due this fall, though did not specify a date. Why not? Well, because Microsoft won't ship a game in October to compete with GTA IV, and with Lost Odyssey coming in December, that means Halo 3 and Project Gotham Racing 4 have to fight over September and November. With the success Halo 2 enjoyed at retail, would Microsoft even entertain shipping the game outside of the oft-expected November timeframe?"

360 isn't looking terrible

[ShadowsHawk]

I don't own a 360, but they actually seem to be learning from their past mistakes. For now, I'll stick with my PC, Wii and DS:Lite, but kudos to Microsoft. It's nice to see a company plan a steady flow of games. I just wish that Nintendo would get its butt in gear and release some decent single player Wii games.

Re:360 longevity

[ShadowsHawk]

I agree that 2012 might be a little long, but anything shorter than 5-6 years is going to leave a bad taste in the mouthes of your fan base. Look at how the MS was criticized for abandoning the Xbox after only four years. People need to feel that they've gotten their moneys worth out of a console if you want them to purchase the next iteration.

Re:As a Bioware Fan

[Lobo42]

If past experience shows us anything, it's that Bioware's "Xbox only" titles are in fact, not Xbox-only. Mass Effect, like Jade Empire and KOTOR before it, will almost assuredly be ported to the PC eventually. (Give it a year or two.)

Plus, Bioware still has Dragon Age in development for PC, as well as some other projects. Fear not.

Though it does seem that Mac/Linux support is probably out of the question...

Re:360 longevity

[HappySqurriel]

For the most part companies do not have control over when they release a console ...

As sales drop to an unacceptable rate third party publishers remove support for a platform and the console is (essentially) dead. You're (typically) given 18 to 24 months notice (because you find out pretty early that EA isn't planning on starting development on new games for your patform long before they release their last game) so you end up having the necessary time to release another system before it becomes obvious that the platform is dead.

Hypothetically speaking, if the Wii or PS3 were to push XBox 360 sales to under 5 Million consoles per year (worldwide) you would see a new XBox 360 long before 2012