Multiple sources have reported that Xbox is working with Finnish studio Mainframe on a new cloud-native MMO with the working title Pax Dei. The game is scalable so it can be played on any device. If someone is using a mobile phone/tablet, they could log in to do minor tasks such as crafting or resource management, while desktop and laptops would be suitable for more intensive parts of the game such as raids or fighting.
Cloud-native here means that players can access the same game through any device. The studio is also exploring potential gameplay mechanics that can only work in a game that exists primarily on a remote server.
The hope among those at Microsoft is that Pax Dei can create an opportunity to set up best practices for this kind of game. And then other studios can run that same playbook in the future.
Pax Dei is something of a prototype. Microsoft is attempting to develop a workflow for future projects that could use similar technology. Microsoft hired Portal and Left 4 Dead developer Kim Swift as the new senior director of Xbox Cloud Gaming a few months ago. This technology could play a role in Hideo Kojima’s future game.
Kim is going to build a team focused on new experiences in the cloud, something that’s going to support our mission of bringing our Xbox games to connect 3 billion gamers to play our games…I do get super excited about the idea of high-fidelity gaming on a phone […] that’s the carrot I keep chasing, for sure. – Xbox Game Studios publishing head Peter Wyse
Sources: Jez Corden, Venture Beat (1, 2), Mainframe, Polygon