Microsoft Is Shutting Down Its Game Creation Tool Project Spark.
One of the more interesting things to come out Microsoft's gaming efforts in the recent years is Project Spark. It allows users make their own games on the Xbox One and Windows PCs. The business model it monitored was free with micro-transactions, permitting users to improve and customize their experience.
The team behind it declared it will pivot to "a free and open creation platform" last year. Now Microsoft has declared that it is killing off Project Spark altogether.
Microsoft's aspiring Project Spark game manufacturer tool is coming to an end in August. The software creator has removed Project Spark from the Xbox Marketplace and Windows Store, and existing users of the tool will not be able to use it from August 12th. "This was an extremely difficult decision for our team that we do not take lightly," says Thomas Gratz, Microsoft's Project Spark community manager. "When Project Spark transitioned away from active development last fall, many of our team members moved to other projects within Microsoft Studios."
"Starting 5/13/16, "Project Spark" will no longer be available for download on the Xbox Marketplace or Windows Store. For existing users of "Project Spark," online services will be unavailable after 8/12/16. Without services, players will no longer be able to download user-generated content or upload their own creations. If you want to access user-generated content offline, you will need to download this content prior to 8/12/16," a post by Project Spark's Community Manager Thomas Gratz on the game's official forum reads. "Be sure to download your favorite community creations and your own uploads if they are not saved locally."
In the light of this news, one would accept there would be layoffs at the studio. But Gratz confirms this is not the case.
"This was an extremely difficult decision for our team that we do not take lightly. When "Project Spark" transitioned away from active development last fall, many of our team members moved to other projects within Microsoft Studios. While this means there have been no layoffs at Microsoft, it also means it's simply no longer feasible to continue the behind-the-scenes work involved with keeping "Project Spark" up and running with meaningful updates and bug fixes, so we have come to this hard decision," his post continues.
While Microsoft hasn't made any layoffs associated to Project Spark, the company says it's "no longer feasible" to keep Project Spark up and running with bug fixes and updates. Microsoft had big goals for Project Spark, using it as a tool to let enthusiasts, developers, and gamer's build a game within a game that runs on tablets, PCs, and Xbox consoles. Players could form custom worlds, characters, and animations from the Xbox One, and continue playing or editing them on a Windows PC. It's similar in concept to Sony's Little BigPlanet, but Microsoft's determination clearly wasn't popular enough. Microsoft will be proposing credits to players who purchased and redeemed the Project Spark Starter Kit sold in retail stores.
Microsoft declares it will offer credit that can be used for the Xbox or Windows Store to players who bought a retail copy of Project Spark.
Project Spark was declared in 2013 for Windows 8 and Xbox One. The application was considered to let fledgling game developers create whatever they want, then share and play those homemade games with the community. Last year, Microsoft and Team Dakota used Project Spark as a means to bring back Rare's mascot, Conker, in an episodic adventure.