Microsoft turns its focus to mobile gaming
Those of you who are excited about the release of the Windows Phone 7 this October now have yet another reason. Microsoft has announced the creation of a new development studio which will be specifically targeted at gaming on the WP7 and other platforms. This means seeing a Microsoft Games Studios title like Halo or Age of Empires might not be so far off. Another feature, announced all the way back in March, is the WP7′s ability to sync with the Xbox 360 and Windows PCa first across smartphone platforms. This will allow users to play the same game across all three platforms, continuing it as they go about their day.This new announcement could be what it takes to set the Windows Phone apart from the crowd. Some critics believe that the OS will not be able to compete with iPhone or Android, especially since Microsoft has said the phone will release with missing features. These features will be added via update when they are “complete”, but without a definite time period, this could limit the Windows Phone in its sales.Microsoft owns a number of popular franchises which could appear on mobile devices. In addition to Age of Empires and Halo, there’s Crackdown, Fable, Project Gotham Racing, Viva Pinata, and more. Project Gotham Racing has already had one mobile game released in 2007, and Viva Pinata has appeared on the Nintendo DS. While it may be difficult to translate more open-ended games like Fable to a mobile device, Microsoft may continue to surprise everyone. With its new focus on mobile game development, the sky’s the limit for the company. A preview version was released on July 18, 2010, with the device itself set to release in October of this year.