DICE 08: Shane Kim talks Marvel MMO, Alan Wake release date

Lots of surprises are being popped in this year’s DICE, and Microsoft‘s Shane Kim is no exception to the activity. In this update, we get the skinny on a LOT of upcoming titles from the man himself, as well as the reason for a certain MMO’s cancellation. Check it out in the full article.

Lots more news from this year’s DICE summit, and this particular update is all about Shane Kim and upcoming titles – namely Microsoft Game Studios’ Marvel Universe Online, and Remedy Entertainment’s Alan Wake (Microsoft Xbox 360, PC), to name a few. If you can take the heartbreak about a certain title being canceled, then read on – hopefully, the other good bits will make up for the disappointment.

First off – yes, we all dreamed about being able to create our very own version of the friendly neighborhood wall-crawler, or a scary night-skulking badass like Batman, and show it off to other like-minded players online. That dream will probably have to be accommodated by another MMO, however, as Shane Kim confirmed that yes, Marvel Universe Online has indeed been killed in development.

Why? Well, Shane and the guys over at Marvel realized that it’s going to be tough to compete in the current MMO scene, and that current business models available for MMOs today are a bit iffy, when both parties’ interests are concerned. So the decision was made by both Marvel and MGS to cancel. Huh.

Next is Alan Wake, the mysterious title that we’ve been hearing less and less about these past few days. When Shane Kim was asked about this particular title, the guy was a bit reluctant to pin it down for a 2008 release. His words? “Not necessarily.” But he did say that it was very different and very ambitious. Here’s hoping that it is.

More details about upcoming games in the actual interview, so if you want to know more, you’d do well to click on the via link below.