Ryse is still being built, not 'shipping in the next twelve months'

Ryse was originally announced as "Codename Kingdoms" during Microsoft's E3 2010 press conference. During last year's Microsoft press conference, it was revealed to be a Kinect-enabled "core" title. During this year's E3, it wasn't mentioned at all.

"We're still building Ryse," corporate VP of Microsoft Studios Phil Spencer told me in an interview last week, shooting down any suggestion that the game has been canceled. "We're focused on games coming in the next twelve months, something I say every year, and it's not something we'll be shipping in the next twelve months." If you're keeping track at home that means, at the very least, a hefty three-year window between the reveal of the project and a possible summer 2013 launch window.

"We're not the biggest first party."

"Yes I can play it on my 360," Spencer told me, preempting the inevitable question about a next-gen release. "Actually, the last review I had with the team was probably four weeks ago and there are some very cool things the team is working on."

Last May, reports from both Eurogamer and Gamasutra indicated that Microsoft moved development from Crytek's Budapest-based studio to its Frankfurt-based studio. The Budapest studio had reportedly been working on the game for two years, and shrunk significantly following the move to focus on "tablet development."

When asked about the apparent delay, Spencer said, "We're not the biggest first party. Things we do have to matter when they come out because the opportunity cost for us is high and we focus on things. I'm not trying to fill a portfolio; I'm trying to create unique experiences and that means we sometimes take longer than some other people do but I want to make sure we make our best effort forward when we get a game done."