Amazon has purchased "Killer Instinct" developer Double Helix, possibly foreshadowing the company's long-rumored plans to release a gaming console.
The news, which was first broken by TechCrunch and later confirmed by Amazon, follows nearly a year of rumors that Amazon will release its own gaming console to take on Microsoft and Sony. A report surfaced last week that Amazon was planning on releasing the console sometime this year for less than $300. The report claims the console will be based on a modified version of Android, similar to the company's Kindle Fire tablets.
Amazon has bought several mobile game development studios in the past year, hinting that the rumors may have some validity to them.
As for the future of "Killer Instinct," Phil Spencer, corporate vice president of Microsoft Studios, responded to fan questions on Twitter by saying development will continue with Microsoft's own internal team. Rare, creator of the franchise, is also still owned by Microsoft, though it's currently working on "Kinect Sports Rivals" and undisclosed games.
@Nicodemus9 Our internal KI team is still here and franchise is in good hands. We had a plan in place for this transition.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) February 6, 2014
The phrasing of Spencer's tweet implies Microsoft was given advance notice of the sale, which could mean it's already been working on its transition plan for some time. Microsoft had to make a similar transition on its PC game "Age of Empires Online," which began development at Robot Entertainment and later moved to Gas Powered Games.
Thanks for the tip, kaotic!
Source: TechCrunch | Image via Microsoft
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