Project Natal: Key dev support signed

Microsoft says it is ‘laying the foundation for tomorrow’ in the games industry with its Project Natal input device – and says it has the development support to prove it.

At the Tokyo Game Show today, the format-holder unveiled a list of publishers and developers working on content that uses the motion-sening 3D camera.

These include Activision Blizzard, Bethesda Softworks, Capcom, Disney Interactive, Electronic Arts, Konami, MTV Games, Namco Bandai, Sega, Square Enix, THQ and Ubisoft.

Microsoft says those firms account for over 70 per cent of third-party software sales for this console cycle.

The firm added that it has seen ‘widespread enthusiasm from the world’s leading video-game publishers for Project Natal’, which was unveiled at E3 and uses no physical controllers – it just senses player movement.

There has been ‘swift industry support for the revolutionary controller-free experiences being developed exclusively for Xbox 360’ the announcement adds.

"’Project Natal’ gives the industry’s creators and storytellers the freedom to dream of new experiences and to tell stories never before possible," said Don Mattrick, senior vice president for the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft in the official statement.

"The support of these creative partners testifies to the excitement that ‘Project Natal’ is generating among the most innovative minds in the industry, and is proof that Xbox 360 not only offers the best games and entertainment today, but will lead with innovation and new ways to have fun in the future."

A special panel discussion at Tokyo Game Show will help prove that the device is winning over the hard to crack Japanese development scene, Microsoft said – Capcom’s Keiji Inafune, creator of Mega Man, Sega’s Toshihiro Nagoshi, creator of Super Monkey Ball, and Konami’s Hideo Kojima Metal Gear Solid will all attend to talk about Natal.