Would you like to create your own video game? Microsoft (MSFT 0.50%) seems to think so. This October, the company will officially launch "Project Spark," a game for creating other games. Fool analysts Tim Beyers and Rex Moore were on hand at the 2014 International CES for an up-close look at the beta version.
Mr. Softy has spent months testing "Project Spark," with impressive results. More than 250,000 had signed on as potential developers as of March. Now Microsoft says the total is in the millions. And if this video is to be believed, some of those early participants have used "Project Spark" to create awe-inspiring game worlds.
Versions for Xbox One and Windows 8.1 PCs are to arrive in stores between Oct. 7 and Oct. 10. Pricing for the "Project Spark Starter Pack" for Xbox One is set at $39.99 and includes all the building features Tim and Rex saw at CES, plus the sci-fi pack "Galaxies: First Contact," the warrior champion Sir Haakon "Hawk" the Knight, and "Champions Quest: Void Storm," the first episode of an epic campaign adventure, among other goodies.
Yet Microsoft isn't the only developer offering a customizable gaming experience. At E3, Nintendo (NTDOY 0.70%) unveiled toy "amiibos" that players can alter at will, and then see the changes reflected in an accompanying digital world that's reminiscent of Activision's Skylanders and Disney's Infinity. It's hard to know if gamers want more than the sort of low-level fine tuning amiibos offer.
Will "Project Spark" be compelling enough convince them to stick with Microsoft's gaming ecosystem? Click the video to watch as Tim and Rex get a demonstration of the the game's world-building prowess and then decide for yourself.
