Milo and Kate
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''Project Milo'' (also referred to as ''Milo and Kate'') was a project in development by
Lionhead Studios Lionhead Studios Limited was a British video game developer founded in July 1997 by Peter Molyneux, Mark Webley, Tim Rance, and Steve Jackson (British game designer), Steve Jackson. The company is best known for the ''Black & White (series), Bl ...
for the
Xbox 360 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 ...
video game console. Formerly a secretive project under the early code name "Dimitri", ''Project Milo'' was unveiled at the 2009
Electronic Entertainment Expo E3 (short for Electronic Entertainment Expo or Electronic Entertainment Experience in 2021) is a trade event for the video game industry. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) organizes and presents E3, which many developers, publisher ...
(E3) in a demonstration for
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 ...
, as a "controller-free" entertainment initiative for the Xbox 360 based on depth-sensing and pattern recognition technologies. The project was a
tech demo A technology demonstration (or tech demo), also known as demonstrator model, is a prototype, rough example or an otherwise incomplete version of a conceivable product or future system, put together as proof of concept with the primary purpose of s ...
to showcase the capabilities of Kinect and has not been released, despite conflicting reports that the project was an actual game.


Development

The project began as work on an "emotional AI (
artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech re ...
)" after Lionhead had finished work on '' Black & White'' in 2001. The project was code named Dimitri, after the godson of Lionhead creative director
Peter Molyneux Peter Douglas Molyneux (; born 5 May 1959) is an English video game designer and programmer. He created the god games '' Populous'', ''Dungeon Keeper'', and '' Black & White'', as well as ''Theme Park'', the ''Fable'' series, '' Curiosity: W ...
. Details revealed about the project led some to speculate that "Dimitri" had become ''
Fable II ''Fable II'' is a 2008 action role-playing open world video game, developed by Lionhead Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios for Xbox 360. The game is the second installment in the ''Fable'' game series, and the sequel to 2004's ''F ...
'', but a 2006 interview with Molyneux confirmed that the projects were separate. For several years the development of Dimitri remained "experimental", resulting in scarce news updates during this phase of development. In later interviews, Molyneux began to refer to the project as "Project X". During their press briefing at the
Electronic Entertainment Expo E3 (short for Electronic Entertainment Expo or Electronic Entertainment Experience in 2021) is a trade event for the video game industry. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) organizes and presents E3, which many developers, publisher ...
in June 2009, Lionhead's parent company Microsoft unveiled Kinect, then known as Project Natal, during which it featured a presentation clip from Molyneux demonstrating a woman naturally interacting with a virtual character, referred to as "Milo." In an interview with
Eurogamer ''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 and owned by alongside formed company Gamer Network. Its editor-in-chief is Martin Robinson. Since 2008, it is known for the formerly eponymous games trade fair EGX ...
after the press conference, Molyneux confirmed that the demonstration was of the previously-known "Dimitri," and would be a game developed around Kinect, titled ''Milo and Kate''. In the game, players would interact with a 10-year-old child (Milo or Millie, selected at the start) and a dog named Kate, playing through a story. According to Molyneux, work on the Kinect-specific elements started in December 2008. The game would also feature an in-game store, for purchasing items to enhance gameplay. ''Milo'' has an AI structure that responds to human interactions, such as spoken word, gestures, or predefined actions in dynamic situations. The game relies on a
procedural generation In computing, procedural generation is a method of creating data algorithmically as opposed to manually, typically through a combination of human-generated assets and algorithms coupled with computer-generated randomness and processing power. In ...
system which is constantly updating a built-in "dictionary" that is capable of matching key words in conversations with inherent voice-acting clips to simulate lifelike conversations. Molyneux claims that the technology for the game was developed while working on ''
Fable Fable is a literary genre: a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are anthropomorphized, and that illustrates or leads to a particular mo ...
'' and ''Black & White''. However, the game was not present at Microsoft's E3 press briefing the following year. Further confusion arose later in the month with a statement by Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg stating that the game was not a product they were planning to bring to market, but was more of an internal tech demo. This was later refuted by Molyneux who stated that he would reveal a more advanced version of ''Milo'' during his TEDGlobal talk in Oxford in July 2010. Molyneux went on to hint at difficulties in getting Microsoft to see Milo as a full game. Molyneux said "The biggest challenge for us is convincing people (Microsoft) what we're doing is actually going to work, is going to reach a new audience, is going to be an idea that people love." At the
TED TED may refer to: Economics and finance * TED spread between U.S. Treasuries and Eurodollar Education * ''Türk Eğitim Derneği'', the Turkish Education Association ** TED Ankara College Foundation Schools, Turkey ** Transvaal Education Depa ...
conference in Oxford in July 2010, more footage was shown. Players can make crucial decisions in Milo's life, or smaller ones such as squashing a snail or not. During the conference it was shown that Milo can be taught how to skip stones. The demonstration also indicated that users are only able to talk to Milo when a red microphone image appeared on the screen. In September 2010, Eurogamer ran a story, citing an unnamed source, stating that work on Milo had been halted, and that the Milo tech would be used in a "Fable themed Kinect game". This story was seemingly backed up by Microsoft's
Alex Kipman Alex Kipman (born 1979) is a Brazilian engineer. He was the lead developer of the Microsoft HoloLens smartglasses and helped develop the Xbox Kinect. Biography Kipman was born in Curitiba in 1979. The son of a Brazilian diplomat, Kipman grew u ...
in a November 2010 interview with
Gamesindustry.biz Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British mass media company based in Brighton. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to video game journalism and other ...
, declaring that ''Project Milo'' "was never a product" and "was never announced as a game". However, an interview with the drama director of the game was released in March. It showed part of the creation process that he had to go through and some brief sections of gameplay. Completion of the project was also hinted in the interview. At the 2011
Game Developer's Conference The Game Developers Conference (GDC) is an annual conference for video game developers. The event includes an expo, networking events, and awards shows like the Game Developers Choice Awards and Independent Games Festival, and a variety of tut ...
, Lionhead lead programmer Ben Sugden showcased a new graphics technology used in ''Project Milo'' for upcoming Xbox 360 titles. At E3 2011, '' Fable: The Journey'' was announced, which includes elements from ''Milo'', including voice and emotion recognition. In a May 2012 interview with Eurogamer, Lionhead creative director Gary Carr confirmed that a number of Kinect features from ''Project Milo'' had been implemented in '' Fable: The Journey''.


References


External links


Molyneux video interview
{{Lionhead Studios Cancelled Xbox 360 games Kinect games Lionhead Studios games Microsoft games Game artificial intelligence Technology demonstrations