Project Spark

Last updated
Project Spark
Project Spark promo art.jpg
Developer(s) Team Dakota
SkyBox Labs
Publisher(s) Microsoft Studios
Director(s) Henry C. Sterchi
Producer(s) Jesse Merriam
Designer(s) Bradley Rebh
Programmer(s) Jason Major
Søren Hannibal
Artist(s) Bradley Shuber
Composer(s) Laura Karpman
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows
Xbox One
Release
  • NA: October 7, 2014
  • AU: October 9, 2014
  • EU: October 10, 2014
Genre(s) game creation system Sandbox, action-adventure
Mode(s) Single-player
Multiplayer (only on Xbox One)

Project Spark is a game creation system video game developed by SkyBox Labs and Team Dakota and published by Microsoft Studios for Microsoft Windows and Xbox One. The game was announced during Microsoft's E3 2013 press event, and was launched as a Windows open beta in December 2013, and an Xbox One beta in March 2014. [1] Project Spark is not available for purchase and online services are also not available as of August 12, 2016. Although no longer available for sale, players can continue to play offline so long as they have both a physical disc, and downloaded local copies of any custom-made creations. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Gameplay

Project Spark is a digital canvas which can be used to make games, movies and other experiences. A player can download other user-generated content, remix that content or create content of their own. A player can use the Xbox controller, keyboard and mouse, touch devices and Kinect to build experiences. Kinect can be used to animate models and record audio. The created environments can contain mountains, rivers, and towns. [5] The player can also create events, like inter-character battles. [5] Created items and objects are able to be shared with other players. [5]

Players choose whether to start from a blank map or a pre-designed level, [6] but always have the tools to customize the topography, add plant and animal life, and program behaviors for specific objects, such as a rock that bounces when a player is nearby. [6] The topography is modified by pushing and pulling the earth, digging through surfaces after changing the view to adjust a wall or create holes in it. [6] Anything added to the terrain reacts to the circumstance, such as grass covering the floor and the vertical surfaces becoming rocks. [6]

Game designer Claude Jerome has said that "the game is all about giving players options", like the ability to add a single flower versus a field of flowers just by resizing the flower paintbrush's size. [6] He added that the game is also about "sharing and playing with the community", and that the difference between Project Spark and LittleBigPlanet or Minecraft is the core ability to customize the game down to the minutiae of the in-game object actions, which lets the players tell more individual stories. [6] Players can control the game with the Xbox controller, touch controls or a keyboard/mouse combination. [7]

Worlds created in the game are shareable. [6] Other players who enter can use the world as created, and a duplicate world is created if they would like to make changes. [6]

Development

Project Spark, developed by Team Dakota, [8] was announced during Microsoft's E3 2013 press event. [5] Registration for its beta began in late June 2013. [9] The game's cross-platform compatibility was demonstrated at Microsoft's Build 2013 developer conference. [10] The system has been described as an evolution of concepts introduced in Microsoft's previous game creation tool Kodu Game Lab . [11]

The game features the character Conker the Squirrel, with an episodic campaign for the game called Conker's Big Reunion, set 10 years after the events of Conker's Bad Fur Day . The first episode of the campaign was released in April 2015, but the remaining ones were cancelled the following September. [12]

Initially the game was supported by microtransactions; however, in September 2015 Microsoft announced that the game would transition to a new "free and open creation" model by which all downloadable content would become free for both new and existing players starting from October 5, 2015. [13] As part of the transition players who paid for such content after at most one month before the announcement were eligible for a refund based on what they had paid. [14] Microsoft would cease the production of all the downloadable content, including future Conker episodes, after the last update was released on the same day. [15]

On May 13, 2016, Microsoft announced that it had ceased all future development of Project Spark, and that it is no longer available to download effective immediately. Online services ended on August 12, 2016. Measures were implemented for those who had purchased the game before its transition to a free-to-play model. [16]

The game is still playable, though with reduced features. Xbox users can play locally saved games, and can create new games but can't share them. PC Users can share the individual level files directly, or use the application SparkShare, which allows sharing of levels, assemblies, brains, and other assets. [17]

Reception

VentureBeat cited Project Spark as a "good example" of a game that takes advantage of Microsoft's investment in its ecosystem of products. [10] IGN's Mitch Dyer called the game a fascinating "strange mixture of complex and rudimentary". [8] Hardcore Gamer said "Project Spark is the most user-friendly game creation suite to date, enabling one to be crafted with less work than anything else like it on the market." [22]

During the 18th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Project Spark for "Family Game of the Year" and "Outstanding Innovation in Gaming". [23]

The video for Linkin Park's "Guilty All the Same" was made using Project Spark and is available to play in game using the community page.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rare (company)</span> British video game developer

Rare Limited is a British video game developer and a studio of Xbox Game Studios based in Twycross, Leicestershire. Rare's games span the platform, first-person shooter, action-adventure, fighting, and racing genres. Its most popular games include the Battletoads, Donkey Kong, and Banjo-Kazooie series, as well as games like GoldenEye 007 (1997), Perfect Dark (2000), Conker's Bad Fur Day (2001), Viva Piñata (2006), and Sea of Thieves (2018).

The Xbox network, formerly known as Xbox LIVE, is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Gaming for the Xbox brand. It was first made available to the original Xbox console on November 15, 2002. An updated version of the service became available for the Xbox 360 console at the system's launch in November 2005, and a further enhanced version was released in 2013 with the Xbox One. This same version is also used with Xbox Series X and Series S. This service, in addition to a Microsoft account, is the account for Xbox ecosystem; accounts can store games and other content.

<i>Conker: Live & Reloaded</i> 2005 video game

Conker: Live & Reloaded is a platform video game developed by Rare and exclusively released for the Xbox in June 2005. The single-player mode is a remaster of the 2001 game Conker's Bad Fur Day for the Nintendo 64. However, it includes a new multiplayer mode using Xbox Live that is different from the Nintendo 64 version. Development started the moment the studio was bought by Microsoft in 2002. The game was made available as a part of Xbox One's backwards compatibility program on April 17, 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conker (character)</span> Main protagonist of the Conker video game series.

Conker is a fictional anthropomorphic red squirrel starring in various video games, primarily known for featuring in Conker's Bad Fur Day. He first appeared alongside Diddy Kong in Rareware's Diddy Kong Racing. Other appearances outside of the Conker series include Project Spark. Conker is voiced by Chris Seavor in all of his appearances.

<i>Banjo-Kazooie</i> Video game franchise

Banjo-Kazooie is a series of video games developed by Rare. The games feature a male bear named Banjo and his friend, a large female red bird named Kazooie, who are both controlled by the player. Banjo originally made his debut as a playable character in 1997 as part of the cast of Diddy Kong Racing. Throughout the various games, they are tasked with thwarting the various evil schemes of a witch named Gruntilda. The first game, Banjo-Kazooie, was released in 1998 to critical acclaim and was followed by three sequels and a spin-off racing game.

<i>Conker</i> (series) Video game series

Conker is a series of platform video games created and produced by Rare. It chronicles the events of Conker the Squirrel, an anthropomorphic red squirrel that made his debut as a playable character in Diddy Kong Racing.

The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles. It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detailed launch and game information announced later that month at the 2005 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xbox (console)</span> Video game console by Microsoft

The Xbox is a home video game console manufactured by Microsoft that is the first installment in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was released as Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console market on November 15, 2001, in North America, followed by Australia, Europe and Japan in 2002. It is classified as a sixth-generation console, competing with Sony's PlayStation 2 and Nintendo's GameCube. It was also the first major console produced by an American company since the release of the Atari Jaguar in 1993.

Xbox Avatars are avatars and characters that represent users of the Xbox network service on the Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and Series S video game consoles, Windows 10, and Windows 10 Mobile. Avatars originally debuted on the Xbox 360 as part of the "New Xbox Experience" system update released on November 19, 2008, updated on Xbox One with "New Xbox One Experience" Xbox One System Software on November 12, 2015, and reimagined with the release of the next generation character for Xbox One on October 11, 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">343 Industries</span> American video game developer

343 Industries is an American video game developer located in Redmond, Washington, part of Xbox Game Studios. Headed by Pierre Hintze, the studio is responsible for the Halo series of military science fiction games, originally created and produced by Bungie, and is the developer of the Slipspace Engine. Named after the Halo character 343 Guilty Spark, the studio was established in 2007 after the departure of Bungie.

<i>World of Tanks</i> Massively multiplayer online game

World of Tanks (WoT) is an armoured warfare-themed multiplayer online game developed by Wargaming, featuring 20th century (1910s–1970s) era combat vehicles. It is built upon a freemium business model where the game is free-to-play, but participants also have the option of paying a fee for use of "premium" features. The focus is on player vs. player gameplay with each player controlling an armored vehicle, from the time of Pre-World War 2 to the Cold War-era.

<i>Minecraft</i> 2011 video game

Minecraft is a sandbox game developed by Mojang Studios and originally released in 2009. The game was created by Markus "Notch" Persson in the Java programming language. Following several early private testing versions, it was first made public in May 2009 before being fully released in November 2011, with Notch stepping down and Jens "Jeb" Bergensten taking over development. Minecraft has become the best-selling video game in history, with over 300 million copies sold and nearly 140 million monthly active players as of 2023. It has been ported to several platforms.

<i>Gears of War 4</i> 2016 video game

Gears of War 4 is a 2016 third-person shooter video game developed by The Coalition and published by Microsoft Studios for Windows and Xbox One. It is the fourth main installment in the Gears of War series, and the first mainline entry not to be developed by Epic Games. The game was released worldwide on October 11, 2016. The sequel, Gears 5, was released on September 10, 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xbox</span> Video gaming brand owned by Microsoft

Xbox is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming service Xbox Cloud Gaming, and online services such as the Xbox network and Xbox Game Pass. The brand is produced by Microsoft Gaming, a division of Microsoft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xbox One</span> Video game console developed by Microsoft

The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third console in the Xbox series. It was first released in North America, parts of Europe, Australia, and South America in November 2013 and in Japan, China, and other European countries in September 2014. It is the first Xbox game console to be released in China, specifically in the Shanghai Free-Trade Zone. Microsoft marketed the device as an "all-in-one entertainment system", hence the name "Xbox One". An eighth-generation console, it mainly competed against Sony's PlayStation 4 and Nintendo's Wii U and later the Switch.

<i>Just Dance 2014</i> 2013 video game

Just Dance 2014 is a 2013 dance rhythm game developed by Ubisoft Paris, Ubisoft Milan, Ubisoft Reflections, Ubisoft Bucharest, Ubisoft Pune, Ubisoft Montpellier and Ubisoft Barcelona and published by Ubisoft. The fifth main installment of the Just Dance series, it was announced at Ubisoft's E3 2013 press event, and released for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, and Wii U on 9 October 2013, and for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One as a launch title on 15 November and 22 November 2013 respectively.

<i>Halo 5: Guardians</i> 2015 video game

Halo 5: Guardians is a 2015 first-person shooter video game developed by 343 Industries, published by Microsoft Studios, and released worldwide for the Xbox One game console on October 27, 2015. The plot follows two fireteams of human supersoldiers: Blue Team, led by Master Chief, and Fireteam Osiris, led by Spartan Locke. When Blue Team goes absent without leave to track down the artificial intelligence construct Cortana, Master Chief's loyalty is called into question and Fireteam Osiris is sent to retrieve him.

The Xbox system software is the operating system developed exclusively for Microsoft's Xbox home video game consoles. Across the four generations of Xbox consoles, the software has been based on a version of Microsoft Windows and incorporating DirectX features optimized for the home consoles. The user interface, the Xbox Dashboard, provides access to games, media players, and applications, and integrates with the Xbox network for online functionality.

<i>Motocross Madness</i> (2013 video game) 2013 video game

Motocross Madness is a motocross racing video game that was developed by Austrian studio Bongfish and published by Microsoft Studios. It was released on April 10, 2013 on Xbox Live Arcade. It is a sequel to two Microsoft Windows games, 1998's Motocross Madness and 2000's Motocross Madness 2, which were developed by Rainbow Studios, who have since moved on to making the MX vs. ATV series.

References

  1. ↑ "Project Spark screenshots stretch the limits of player creativity". Digital Trends. 2014-03-09. Retrieved 2014-03-14.
  2. ↑ "Microsoft Kills Project Spark". Kotaku. 2016-05-13.
  3. ↑ Project Spark [@proj_spark] (5 July 2016). "REMINDER: To keep playing your favorite user creations after 8/12/16, download a local copy! Remix, save, & play in "My Created Projects"" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  4. ↑ Project Spark [@proj_spark] (12 August 2016). "#ProjectSpark services are now offline. Thanks for playing, creating, and sharing your imaginations with the world!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Corriea, Alexa Ray (June 10, 2013). "Project Spark game maker announced for Xbox One and Windows 8". Polygon . Vox Media . Retrieved June 10, 2013.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Lien, Tracey (June 11, 2013). "Project Spark will let you 'build whatever you want'". Polygon . Vox Media. Archived from the original on June 15, 2013. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
  7. ↑ Miller, Paul (June 13, 2013). "'Project Spark': build a game, or don't, with Microsoft's incredible new sandbox". The Verge . Vox Media . Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  8. 1 2 Dyer, Mitch (June 11, 2013). "E3 2013: Become a Game Designer in Project Spark". IGN. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  9. ↑ Dyer, Mitch (June 24, 2013). "Project Spark Beta Registration Open Now". IGN. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  10. 1 2 Grubb, Jeffrey (June 26, 2013). "Microsoft demonstrates how DIY game Project Spark integrates Xbox One, PC, and tablet". VentureBeat . Archived from the original on June 29, 2013. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  11. ↑ Xav de Matos on Jun 13th 2013 3:30PM (2013-06-13). "Project Spark is an evolution of Kodu's programming language". Joystiq. Retrieved 2014-03-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. ↑ O'Brian, Lucy (March 19, 2015). "New Conker Game Coming to Project Spark April 23". IGN . Retrieved March 23, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Project Spark Transitions into Free Incubation Engine Next Week". News.Xbox.Com. 28 September 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  14. ↑ Shea, Brian. "Project Spark Is Going Fully Free Starting Next Week". Game Informer . Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  15. ↑ Pitcher, Jenna (September 28, 2015). "Project Spark Going Fully Free, Some Buyers Being Refunded". IGN . Retrieved September 29, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Microsoft is pulling the plug on Project Spark's online services". VentureBeat. 13 May 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  17. ↑ "SparkShare". Sparkshare. Archived from the original on 24 August 2016. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
  18. ↑ "Project Spark for Xbox One". GameRankings . Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  19. ↑ "Project Spark for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  20. ↑ Kyle Hilliard (October 17, 2014). "Project Spark review: Build An Estimation Of Your Dream Game". Game Informer . Retrieved October 17, 2014.
  21. ↑ Mitch Dyer (7 October 2014). "Project Spark review". IGN.
  22. 1 2 Peeples, Jeremy (10 October 2014). "Review: Project Spark". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  23. ↑ "D.I.C.E. Awards By Video Game Details Project Spark". interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences . Retrieved 28 November 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.