Peter Molyneux recalls how Project Milo, the Kinect game with revolutionary promise, died a death

Vapourware can end up being the stuff of legend, like Rockstar's Agent, Star Wars 1313, or StarCraft: Ghost. Without ever seeing the light of day, these games never risked the possibility of being played and forgotten, and instead live on forever as the subjects of lengthy YouTube essays.

Still, Molyneux's most notable lost game (or tech demo, depending on who you asked at the time) was arguably Project Milo.

[darthv72]

I can see the potential of the kinect hardware... its rather impressive tech, but it was just not meant to be for gaming. If anything, MS had a huge missed opportunity to have used it for the AR/VR projects.

[S2Killinit]

Missed opportunity? They lied. It was the biggest lie in gaming history.

[merlox]

You can use the Kinect as an SLS camera for paranormal investigations. So it wasn’t a complete failure.

[Cacabunga]

Remember Star Wars Kinect announcement? Biggest laughable acting seen

[rlow1]

Do you mean about project Milo?

[-Foxtrot]

It was built on lies Peter...you know this.

[isarai]

Bro that thing NEVER existed, what we got was a concept video

[Knushwood Butt]

"Unfortunately, as we were developing Milo, so the Kinect device was being developed. And they realised that the device that Alex Kipman first showed off would cost $5,000 for consumers to buy.

"So they cost-reduced that device down to such a point, where the field-of-view...I think it was a minuscule field-of-view. In other words, it could only just see what's straight in front of you."

Hmm, exactly what tech was in it, that was cut, affected the development? It was only ever interpreting visual and audio inputs right? The xbox was processing those inputs.

Nor do I see how the field of view thing is relevant to the discussion.

[isarai]

Exactly! Tf kinda BS statement was that? i don't really see how fov is relevant at all, since when do you move all around a room while talking/interacting to someone?

[Amplitude]

This is entirely untrue. There was never a 5000 dollar Kinect prototype that could somehow use a wider field of view to scan and import generated in-game items and advance AI by over a decade. Anybody that fell for this was a stupid moron child, myself included. Anybody that falls for this lie now is a stupid moron child who doesn't realize that these people *only* know how to lie.

[victorMaje]

It was all Smoke & Mirrors.

[XBManiac]

I played Star Wars 1313 and StarCraft: Ghost on E3 floor and at close doors. So, no, those were not vapourware. They were real titles, finished or near to be.

[TheColbertinator]

Lucky. I always wanted to play Starcraft Ghost.

[BABY-JEDI]

I wanted Milo to play Demons Souls with me😢

[jznrpg]

Their “demo” wasn’t a game just some video they made to sell you Kinect.

[ApocalypseShadow]

It was basically theft to keep Sony from using the tech of the camera by throwing money at it. Dr Marks was working with the company and the tech and had video demonstrations proving it. Microsoft threw money at it knowing Sony was looking for the next motion control after eye toy. Dr Marks showed early move control with a wand. And early z camera gaming.

Microsoft, through smoke and mirrors, hyper it up to be the next thing after seeing Nintendo's success and tried to capitalize on it. But failed because they didn't spend ample time making good games for it. Just shovelware games for casuals. That tech was in no way $5,000. Because after Microsoft pulled that move, Sony went with move to counter. But later purchased a company called softkinetic that had a camera so the exact same type of motion control gaming. They just weren't as big a company. Sadly, Sony never used the tech for games.

But Milo was a sham through and through. Huge amount of hype with no substance. While move did hardcore games like Killzone and casual games. Because as Kevin Butler used to say, buttons were important and not flailing and pew pew pewing with your hands.

[Kyizen]

Even if the Kinect failed it made the Xbox unique. For consoles to survive they need to more than a mid tier PC, whether it is the dual sense and VR of PS5, handheld and docking of the Switch, Xbox needs something next gen or why get it.

[jznrpg]

It’s too late for Xbox. They blew their chance

[S2Killinit]

Yeah but looking back at the second half of that generation, I think MS was using smoke and mirrors to generate hype for their system knowing that their policy of purchasing exclusivity had hit a major road block due to people purchasing too many PS3s, and MS had simply failed to develop any studios of their own. They were screwed from that point on and they knew it. Thus, they attempted to basically lie and create false hype for their system. I personally think they paid a huge price in lost good will.

[Lionsguard]

This was weird asf man, I don't know wtf they were thinking.