One of Microsoft’s surprise announcements at E3 2014 was the revival of original Xbox property Phantom Dust. In February, Microsoft separated the project from developer Darkside Games.
Following the removal of the project from Darkside, Microsoft told us that Phantom Dust was still in development. Apparently, in the intervening months, the project was further downgraded.
Speaking with GamerTag Radio, Xbox product manager Aaron Greenberg offered a clarification on the project’s status.
“It’s been a passion project for Phil [Spencer] and a lot of folks on the team,” Greenberg said. “We’re currently exploring what we’re going to do longer term with Phantom Dust. The project is not canceled, but we don’t have an active developer on it right now. It’s a project, like many things, that will take a little more time. At this time, we’re not giving any more updates on it.”
Phantom Dust was originally released in North America in 2005, blending arena-style dueling mechanics with deck-building features found in collectible card games. While the title was developed at Microsoft, it was published by Majesco in North America.
[Source: GamerTag Radio via VG 24/7]
Our Take
As a serious fan of the original, this saddens me. I hope we do eventually see the series return as a refined version of the original. There’s a lot to love there, and the potential for organized competitive play (if well balanced) is significant.