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[Update] Project Spark Beta Goes Into Certification For Xbox One
Update: Microsoft has responded to our request for comment on the status of Project Spark's beta and final release.
"We’re excited that Project Spark is off to certification but don’t have anything new to share at this time," a Microsoft representative told us via email. "The Xbox One beta will be available soon and the projected release window for Project Spark is still 2014."
Original Story:
Team Dakota has announced that its free-to-play game-creation platform, Project Spark, is heading into Microsoft’s certification process. The title has been in beta since early December on PC.
“We've officially run out of bugs to fix on our ‘Beta 3’ (Xbox One) version of Project Spark, and now we're off to certification,” Team Dakota posted this morning on its Facebook page. We’ve reached out to Microsoft to find out when the title might be made available to the public.
For more on Project Spark, you can check out our coverage from E3. You can also watch an extensive video from Gamescom 2013. Note that after months of testing, the experience likely looks and feels different, but this should give you an idea of Project Spark’s purpose.
Correction: Project Spark's beta is headed into certification, and it has not yet made its way to Xbox One. This certification appears to be in order to get the beta into console testers' hands.
Thanks to reader "Captain Legend" for the tip.
[Source: Project Spark on Facebook]
Our Take
Project Spark has enormous potential, but Microsoft will need to promote it, curate the best content, and incentivize players to keep coming back. A platform for building is great, but it will need a showcase or some other discoverability features. We're looking forward to seeing the beta on Xbox One.
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