Microsoft on Silicon Knights vs. Epic, Rare’s DS work, and more

In Part 2 of an interview with DevelopMag, Microsoft Game Studios’ general manager Phil Spencer discusses what Microsoft thinks of the Silicon Knights and Epic legal spat, why letting Rare develop for DS will aid MGS’ design skills and how the company is catering to the widened games market.

Questions for Spencer include:

• How is MGS handling the lawsuit between Epic and Silicon Knights?

• How does MGS deal with an internal team that wants to make a game for a rival’s format? (i.e., Rare for DS.)

• Would MGS let other developers take Rare’s DS route?

• Is MGS planning expansion in the UK or Europe?

• Is MGS preferring the third-party partner/first-party publishing deal route?

The interview also touches on many Microsoft’s first/second-party titles: Too Human, Mass Effect, Blue Dragon, Scene It?, and more.