Kotaku: Shane Kim

Shane Kim To Retire From Microsoft

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:20:04 EDT

Microsoft exec Shane Kim, formerly the corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios and current corporate vice president of Strategy and Business Development for the Interactive Entertainment Business, will leave that verbose title behind later this year. He's retiring. More »

Don't Expect 360 Games On Demand To Arrive Same Day As Retail

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 22:20:00 EDT

Later this year, Microsoft will be launching a "Games on Demand" service, where users can download full, proper retail games to their 360s. Exciting! Just don't expect to do it on the same day a game's out at GameStop. More »

Microsoft Handheld A Matter Of "When"

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 22:20:00 EDT

While there's always been a lot of chatter surrounding the possibility of Microsoft entering the handheld gaming space, Microsoft themselves have always been rather evasive on the subject. Which is why these comments from Shane Kim are so surprising. More »

The Great Chain Interview, Part 4: Xbox Guy To Ex-Xbox Guy To That Guy’s Boss

Stephen Totilo — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:00:23 EDT

In yesterday's Chain Interview installment, Sony's Scott Rohde wanted Microsoft's Shane Kim to say if Microsoft would get back into making sports games. Kim answered. Then things got...interesting. More »

The Great Chain Interview, Part 3: Sony Questions Sony, Who Questions Shane Kim

Stephen Totilo — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:00:17 EDT

The cliffhanger at the end of yesterday's Chain Interview had Xbox exec John Schappert wanting to know what a Sony exec thinks of Xbox Live. Let's get past the halfway point with an answer. More »

Microsoft On Metal Gear: Mission Accomplished

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 21:00:00 EDT

So far this hardware generation, we've seen the number of third-party exclusives on any platform shrink to almost zero. The last major series to come around? Metal Gear Solid. More »

When Will It Be Wrong To Call The Xbox 360 A Game Console?

Stephen Totilo — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 13:40:34 EDT

Kotaku recently asked Microsoft if the flourishing of non-gaming features like Netflix, Facebook, Last.fm and Twitter on the Xbox 360 will someday invalidate the classification of the device as a gaming console. More »

Natal Launch Will Be As Big As 360's

Stephen Totilo — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:40:38 EDT

On that day in the future when Microsoft launches its E3-darling Project Natal no-touch control system, it will feel like a console launch, a company exec told Kotaku. More »

Microsoft: Xbox Live Is Like An MMO

Stephen Totilo — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 18:00:50 EDT

Given Microsoft's demonstration of Avatars gathering in a shared virtual movie theater at E3, it seemed that Xbox Live could be going in a PlayStation Home direction. Not quite, we were told. More »

NYT: What Xbox Wants To Be When It Grows Up

Jim Reilly — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 17:20:00 EST

The New York Times interviewed Microsoft’s Shane Kim about what the company has in store for the Xbox 360 beyond just a gaming platform. More »

Microsoft "Cautiously Optimistic" About Its 2009

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 21:00:00 EST

Given Microsoft's recent Black Friday sales boasting, we'd think that the Xbox 360 team's egos are severely bloated. Not so. Shane Kim says the company is, somewhat distressingly, "cautiously optimistic" about next year's sales. More »

Shane Kim Promises More New IP For The 360

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 03:30:00 EDT

So far this generation, Microsoft's lineup of exclusives has done a pretty good job! Gears of War, Project Gotham Racing 3, Halo 3, Project Gotham Racing 4, Forza 2, Ninja Gaiden 2...all big sellers, all great games. Thing is, aside from Gears, those are all sequels! And Microsoft's two biggest games in 2008 are more sequels, one for Gears, one for Fable. Perhaps sensing an impending onset of acute sequelitis, Microsoft's Shane Kim wants you to know that new stuff is on the way: More »

Shane Kim On MMOs: "We Haven't Been Able To Crack The Code"

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 07:30:00 EDT

Making an MMO can be hard. You can put years into developing not just the game, but the necessary infrastructure, only to launch it and have it die within weeks. Sure, Blizzard know how to do it, but few other developers have managed. Microsoft certainly tried, and tried twice (Marvel Universe, True Fantasy). They also failed twice, with both projects canned, something Shane Kim takes full responsibility for: More »

Shane Kim Explains the 360 Menu Redesign

Adam Barenblat — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:00:00 EDT

Why bother redesigning the Xbox 360's interface? Shane Kim is here to tell us. Oh and Kim totally gets in Sony's face. No, not really. He does talk a minute amount of smack, but no gang signs were thrown. More »

Phil Spencer and Shane Kim Talk Halo

Adam Barenblat — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:40:00 EDT

Halo, Halo, Halo! What's going on with the movie? What about Halo Wars? What about Peter Jackson? How bout the Halo no show at the big press conference. No real answers from head of Microsoft Game Studios Phil Spencer or newly minted corporate vice president of Strategy and Business Development Shane Kim, but plenty of talk. More »

Shane Kim Wants Nintendo's Big Blue Ocean Too

Adam Barenblat — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:00:00 EDT

Microsoft's E3. Was it fun for everyone or fun for just casual gamers? I think it was more about the casual gamer, Shane Kim? Not so much. Kim also isn't a big believer in Nintendo's big, blue ocean, it seems. Why stick to your own slice of the Pacific, when you can have it all. More »

Shane Kim: Japan's A "Long-Term", "Challenging" Market

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 07:00:00 EDT

It's hard to tell whether these quotes - from a recent interview Shane Kim had with GI.biz - are genuinely new, or just pulled from a stock template Microsoft's had ready since 2002. Because when asked about how Microsoft are doing in Japan, their thoughts, etc etc, he says "We've been very realistic about our near-to-mid term opportunities in Japan, specifically with respect to the current console generation. Obviously it's a challenging market with well entrenched competitors". He goes on to say how great it is to see Japanese developers making 360 games, how he hopes their fortunes there will "turn around", and "I think that's a longer-term effort, to be frank". You know what I love? Not whether he's right or wrong, but the sheer perseverance Microsoft are displaying. We could be seeing the same quotes in 2012. Actually, we probably will. More »

Jeff Bell Departs Microsoft, Shane Kim Gets Promotion

Brian Crecente — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:26:06 EDT

Microsoft Game Studio's head Shane Kim is getting bumped up to corporate vice president of Strategy and Business Development, a new position in Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business, and Jeff Bell is leaving the company, Microsoft announced today. More »

Even Final Fantasy Probably Can't Save Xbox In Japan

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 22 May 2008 08:40:00 EDT

Okay! Make-believe time. Let's say that Microsoft had a lot of money to burn. No wait, start over. Let's say that Microsoft was able to convince Square Enix to give it Final Fantasy as an exclusive. Like, Final Fantasy XIII is only on the Xbox 360 and wouldn't be on the PS3. Would large numbers of Japanese consumers break down and buy an Xbox 360? According to Microsoft's Shane Kim: More »

We Can Imagine A World Where Turn 10 Develop PGR5

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 22 May 2008 04:30:00 EDT

Speaking last week with Kikizo, Microsoft's Shane Kim has been asked about the future of the Project Gotham Racing series, now that creator Bizarre have up and left. His response should help out any 360 racing fans who are yet to put 2+2 together:

...you know, we have a great internal racing studio in Turn 10, the creators of Forza Motorsport. And our goal is to roll the studio so that they can do more creative execution within the racing space. So you can imagine a future where they would develop a new version of Project Gotham Racing.

Think by this stage we've all stopped imagining it, and are just assuming it's already happening. More »

Shane Kim Resets Console War Winner To 100 Million

Michael McWhertor — Tue, 20 May 2008 22:40:52 EDT

Shane Kim is ready to call the console war. Just as soon as someone sells another 90 million consoles, that is. In a recent interview with Wired's Game|Life, the Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Game Studios says that it's too early to declare a winner, despite colleague Don Mattrick chirping up recently to point out console sales precedents that say otherwise. More »

Microsoft So Happy It Didn't Make a Handheld Console

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 15 May 2008 05:00:00 EDT

Once upon a time, people thought Microsoft was going to enter the handheld console market. It hasn't! Maybe, it will one day, but for the time being, the company is sitting on the sidelines. Any regrets? Says Microsoft's Shane Kim: More »

Shane Kim Says Xbox 360 Will Last 7 Years

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 14 May 2008 01:00:00 EDT

Numerous times Sony has publicly stated numerous times that the PS3 will have a ten year life-span. What about the Xbox 360? How long will that last? According to Shane Kim, the Microsoft machine will last 7 years, which is twice as long as the original Xbox. According to Kim: More »

Shane Kim: Rare Hasn't Realized Their Potential on the 360

Brian Crecente — Tue, 13 May 2008 14:40:00 EDT

During my dinner with Shane Kim and Kudo Tsunoda I started talking with Kim about Rare's relatively checkered history with Microsoft. More »

Gears of War 2 Getting Meat Shields, But Does it Need Romance Too?

Brian Crecente — Tue, 13 May 2008 13:21:33 EDT

Last night Microsoft hosted a dinner with Shane Kim and Kudo Tsunoda for myself and four other game journalists after the Electronic Arts gathering. For most of the dinner our group huddled around the table talking games and eating Hawaiian fusion food. More »

Why Microsoft Murdered The Marvel MMO

Mike Fahey — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 10:40:20 EST

The rumors are true. Marvel Universe Online as gone the way of True Fantasy Live Online, another Microsoft MMO project killed before ever seeing the light of day. MTV Multiplayer's Stephen Totilo spoke with Microsoft Game Studios' head Shane Kim, who confirmed the cancellation of the highly anticipated title and explained why it had to die.

When we first entered into the development and agreement of the development of 'Marvel Universe Online,' we thought we would create another subscription-based MMO. And if you really look at the data there's basically one that's successful and everything else wouldn't meet our level or definition of commercial success.

Wow. Yeah, so basically Kim explains that they had gone too far to change the pricing structure into something more likely to bring money in, such as item and transaction-based models, so they let the project die. Hit up the rest of Totilo's story to see him pump Kim for information on Fable 2, Alan Wake, and the future of Halo while I go mourn the official loss of MUO. More »

Shane Kim On The Future Of The 360

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 00:30:00 EST

Wired's Chris Kohler got the chance to interview Microsoft's Shane Kim while at DICE, and did not keep things brief. Good news for us, since Kim decides to talk about all kinds of things, from the challenges facing the 360 in Europe ("we're going to ramp up the focus") to the 360's pre-eminence among developers ("Xbox 360 is the lead development platform for 80% of the titles, maybe more now, being developed in the industry") to how they're going to trump the PS3 with the launch of GTA IV ("We already own it, I believe, from a content standpoint, because we have the exclusive episodes"). All interesting stuff! But my favourite comes when discussing Crackdown, where Kim says that despite Real Time Worlds moving onto something else, Microsoft "still love Crackdown", and are very aware that "customers would like to see more in that space". You're damn right we would. Hit the link for the full interview, it's a good read. More »

Microsoft's Shane Kim Says The Console War Isn't Over

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 17:20:00 EST

Microsoft Game Studios head Shane Kim was on the receiving end of a barrage of questions from the New York Times' Seth Schiesel today at DICE. He probed the VP on a number of topics ranging from Bungie's decision to go independent to who's winning the console war to Microsoft's potential entry into the portable gaming market. More »

Next-Gen Picks Top Ten Blunders Of 2007

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 19:20:09 EST

"Best of" awards are fun, sure, but it's the screw ups that give us the most joy during the depressing holidays, not the accolades. Watching others fail so spectacularly makes our own lack of accomplishment that much less memorable. Fortunately, Next-Gen knows what we like and have rounded up the year's biggest blunders in its latest list, which not only includes the familiar Sony blackballing incident from March, but also touches on other fun and interesting topics like the dismissal of Jeff Gerstmann and the whirlwind of confusion surrounding this year's PlayStation 3 SKU confusion. Even better are trips down memory lane with execs Shane Kim and Jack Tretton. More »

Is Another Microsoft Exec On His Way Out?

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 19:40:00 EST

When EGM editor Shane Bettenhausen outlined the rumored doom of an unnamed Microsoft-published Xbox 360 title, the rumor mill went into overdrive. Fingers were pointed in the direction of Banjo Threeie, Fable 2, and Alan Wake, all of which were denied having been canceled. Ultimately, 1UP's cancellation detector pointed in the direction of Marvel Universe Online. But the EGM sourced rumor wasn't just focused solely on shuttered game development. It also hinted that an MS executive, near or on the level of Peter Moore, was on his or her way out. More »

Analysts Put Microsoft Studio Departures Under Analyzer

Michael McWhertor — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 20:40:00 EDT

The "loss" of Bungie and the closing of FASA Studio, paired with the third-party snatching up of Bizarre Creations and Bioware-Pandemic led Newsweek blogger N'Gai Croal to key his editorial on a Microsoft "shell shocked" by losses, writing that the aforementioned development houses slipping through Microsoft Game Studios' fingers "strongly suggest that the house that Shane Kim built may rest on quicksand." Sure, some may say that's leaning toward internet-appropriate melodrama, but it certainly didn't appear to be a corporate "win-win", Microsoft's description of the Bungie deal. One group that doesn't see it as a Big Deal is the beloved analyst population. More »

Resident Evil 5 For Xbox 360 Was News To Shane Kim

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 16:40:00 EDT

A megaton announcement you might not have noticed at Microsoft's E3 2007 press conference was the appearance of Capcom's Resident Evil 5 for the Xbox 360. Another former exclusive secured! Huge, huge news. Well, huge news to corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios Shane Kim anyway. He was blown away by the revelation that the survival horror hit was coming to the 360, something we've all known about for just shy of two years now. More »

Microsoft Still Can't Quit Japan

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 08:00:03 EDT

Microsoft is a glutton for Japanese punishment. Think the company is going to give up? Not in this life, brother! Shane Kim, Microsoft corporate vice prez., says they will continue push on in Japan, a region that has been less than ethusiastic about the Xbox 360. According to Kim: More »

Shane Kim Talks Portable Gaming

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 07:00:31 EDT

Will Microsoft ever enter the portable game space? Says Micosoft's Shane Kim: More »

Kim Talks Post Halo 3 Universe

Michael McWhertor — Tue, 15 May 2007 19:40:10 EDT

Long time first-person shooter fans often wonder/troll "Why is Halo so popular?" It's pretty simple really. Combine great marketing, a solid game, one deeply entrenched online community, and the fact that kids just love space marines and you have your answer. More »

MS "Explains" Why 360 Owners Pay Premium For Shadowrun

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 14 May 2007 22:20:38 EDT

While Xbox 360 owners are quite comfortable ponying up sixty bucks for Microsoft Games Studios-published titles on that console, there was a time when those releases were sold at last-gen prices. At launch, games like Project Gotham Racing 3 and Perfect Dark Zero went for MSRPs of $49.99, making the "jump in" a bit softer on the wallet. More »

Shane Kim Talks 360 1080p Game Output

Brian Crecente — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 04:00:09 EDT

I had a chance to talk to Shane Kim, who recently named the corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios, about the day's announcements over in Tokyo. More »

Shane Kim Cryptic on 'Mythical' Halo 3

lsmith — Tue, 21 Feb 2006 17:40:49 EST

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Talking to Next Generation about Halo 3 at DICE, Microsoft Game Studios general manager Shane Kim didn't yield much in the way of confirmation: "I call it The Mythical Halo 3 - we haven't announced any such game yet! Obviously the Halo franchise is very important to us. When you have Bill Gates being quoted fairly constantly, talking about a game, you know it's important to the company. But his recent comments reflect the position accurately. Which is that, if there were a Halo 3 we would be careful about how we announce and introduce it." When asked if that meant that Halo 3 was coming out this year, Shane Kim gets even more confusing: "It depends. If it's the game that everyone is expecting then, yes. For us it's about making a proper impact on the platform. It has to be something with huge significance, so we won't be rushed." Maybe Kim means information about the game will come out this year, but given Bungie's tendency to take their time, the smart money is on Halo 3 after 2006. More »