''Project Spark'' was a
game creation system
A game creation system (GCS) is a consumer-targeted game engine and a set of specialized design tools (and sometimes a light scripting language), engineered for the rapid iteration of user-derived video games. Examples include Novashell and Pie i ...
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
developed by
SkyBox Labs
SkyBox Labs Inc. is a Canadian video game developer located in Burnaby, British Columbia. Founded in 2011 by Derek MacNeil, Shyang Kong and Steven Silvester formerly from EA Vancouver, they are mostly known for their work with Xbox Game Studios ...
and Team Dakota and published by
Microsoft Studios
Xbox Game Studios (previously known as Microsoft Studios, Microsoft Game Studios, and Microsoft Games) is an American video game publisher and part of the Microsoft Gaming division based in Redmond, Washington. It was established in March 2000, ...
for
Microsoft Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
and
Xbox One
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 base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
. The game was announced during Microsoft's
E3 2013
The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2013 (E3 2013) was the 19th E3 held. The event took place at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California with many press conferences taking place at nearby venues including the Microsoft Theater ...
press event, and was launched as a Windows
open beta
A software release life cycle is the sum of the stages of development and maturity for a piece of computer software ranging from its initial development to its eventual release, and including updated versions of the released version to help impro ...
in December 2013, and an Xbox One beta in March 2014. ''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.
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
Kinect is a line of motion sensing input devices produced by Microsoft and first released in 2010. The devices generally contain RGB cameras, and infrared projectors and detectors that map depth through either structured light or time of flig ...
to build experiences. Kinect can be used to animate models and record audio. The created environments can contain mountains, rivers, and towns.
The player can also create events, like inter-character battles.
Created items and objects are able to be shared with other players.
Players choose whether to start from a blank map or a pre-designed
level
Level or levels may refer to:
Engineering
*Level (instrument), a device used to measure true horizontal or relative heights
*Spirit level, an instrument designed to indicate whether a surface is horizontal or vertical
*Canal pound or level
*Regr ...
,
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.
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.
Anything added to the terrain reacts to the circumstance, such as grass covering the floor and the vertical surfaces becoming rocks.
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.
He added that the game is also about "sharing and playing with the community", and that the difference between ''Project Spark'' and ''
LittleBigPlanet
''LittleBigPlanet'' (stylized as ''LittleBIGPlanet''; abbreviated ''LBP'') is a puzzle platform video game series created and produced by British developer Media Molecule and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Most games in the series ...
'' or ''
Minecraft
''Minecraft'' is a sandbox game developed by Mojang Studios. 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 ...
'' 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.
Players can control the game with the Xbox controller, touch controls or a keyboard/mouse combination.
Worlds created in the game are shareable.
Other players who enter can use the world as created, and a duplicate world is created if they would like to make changes.
Development
''Project Spark'', developed by Team Dakota,
was announced during Microsoft's
E3 2013
The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2013 (E3 2013) was the 19th E3 held. The event took place at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California with many press conferences taking place at nearby venues including the Microsoft Theater ...
press event.
Registration for its beta began in late June 2013. The game's cross-platform compatibility was demonstrated at Microsoft's Build 2013 developer conference.
The system has been described as an evolution of concepts introduced in Microsoft's previous game creation tool ''
Kodu Game Lab
Kodu Game Lab, originally named ''Boku'', is a programming integrated development environment (IDE) by Microsoft's FUSE Labs. It runs on Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10 And Windows 11. It was ...
''.
The game features the character
Conker the Squirrel
Conker the Squirrel 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 appear ...
, with an episodic campaign for the game called ''Conker's Big Reunion'', set 10 years after the events of ''
Conker's Bad Fur Day
''Conker's Bad Fur Day'' is a 2001 platform game developed and published by Rare for the Nintendo 64. The game follows Conker, a greedy, hard-drinking red squirrel who must return home to his girlfriend. Most of the game requires the player ...
''. The first episode of the campaign was released in April 2015, but the remaining ones were cancelled the following September.
Initially the game was supported by
microtransactions
Microtransactions, often abbreviated as mtx, are a business model where users can purchase virtual goods with micropayments. Microtransactions are often used in free-to-play games to provide a revenue source for the developers. While microtransact ...
; 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. 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. Microsoft would cease the production of all the
downloadable content
Downloadable content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can either be added for no extra cost or it can be a form of video game monetization, enablin ...
, including future ''Conker'' episodes, after the last update was released on the same day.
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.
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.
Reception
''
VentureBeat
''VentureBeat'' is an American technology website headquartered in San Francisco, California. It publishes news, analysis, long-form features, interviews, and videos.
History
The ''VentureBeat'' company was founded in 2006 by Matt Marshall, a ...
'' cited ''Project Spark'' as a "good example" of a game that takes advantage of Microsoft's investment in its ecosystem of products.
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
's Mitch Dyer called the game a fascinating "strange mixture of complex and rudimentary".
''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."
The video for
Linkin Park
Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. The band's current lineup comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, bassist Dave Farrell, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn and drummer ...
's "
Guilty All the Same
"Guilty All the Same" is a song by American rock music, rock band Linkin Park. The song was recorded by the band for their sixth studio album, ''The Hunting Party (album), The Hunting Party'', serving as the third track. The track features Ameri ...
" was made using Project Spark and is available to play in game using the community page.
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
2014 video games
Cancelled Xbox 360 games
Microsoft games
Video games developed in the United States
Windows games
Xbox One games
Video game engines
Products and services discontinued in 2016
Internet properties disestablished in 2016
Video games scored by Laura Karpman
Video games with user-generated gameplay content
Delisted digital-only games
Inactive online games
SkyBox Labs games