While gamers would love to hear about a new Conker, Jet Force Gemini, Killer Instinct, or even a Blast Corps game from Rare, the company is set to debut an all new franchise to press tomorrow at a private event. While Microsoft has kept details of the announcement secret, sources close to Game Informer Online have revealed that the game will be called Viva Piñata.
As Game Informer Magazine revealed in loose talk months ago, Microsoft trademarked the name Viva Piñata, but we also learned that the game will coincide with a new cartoon that will premier on the 4Kids (Winx Club, TMNT, Sonic X) cartoon line-up. It won’t stop at the cartoon however, and Microsoft is banking on this franchise becoming as popular as Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh! with merchandising trademarks going from candy, beverages, toys, figures, clothing, to motion pictures, DVDs, and arcade machines.
Not much is known about the actual Viva Piñata game at this point outside of a few details. Microsoft is targeting children with this game, a territory mainly previously occupied by rivals Nintendo and Sony. Microsoft has attempted to grab a younger demographic previously with Rare’s first Xbox title, Grabbed By The Ghoulies, the Blinx franchise, and Fusion Frenzy, but the core audience of Xbox followers haven’t been children.
As far as gameplay is concerned, players will take the role of a Piñata, and characters will be controlled by both analog sticks much like an Ape Escape title. More details will follow from tomorrow’s event.
What is interesting, however, is that Rare is the company behind this Xbox 360 game. Rare being well known for creating hit franchises such as Banjo-Kazooie, Killer Instinct, and Perfect Dark has been enlisted in working on a soon to be established franchise. Granted, the company has worked with the GoldenEye license in the past, and dabbled in the Donkey Kong license with Diddy Kong Racing, Donkey Kong 64, but for the most part they’ve carved out their own path with these games in one way or another. It should be interesting to see how they handle their role with Viva Piñata.
