Skip to main content

Microsoft drops discs in favor of the cloud as it introduces the new studio, Lift London

Microsoft Studios logo lift london tablet cloud gamingMicrosoft Game Studios’ grand expansion in the lead up to the next Xbox continues apace in 2013. Microsoft announced the opened of Lift London, a new UK studio created by former Sony and Atari executive Phil Harrison and run by ex-Rare Ltd. developer Lee Schuneman. Lift London will play a unique role in Microsoft’s studio network, though, as Harrison says that it is a “21st century studio, not a studio that will make retail products.”

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday morning, Harrison said that Lift London’s primary output will be connected games served over the cloud. They may make games that initially purchased on a disc but the bulk of the game will be found on the Internet. Lift’s games will be services expanded and played over the Internet, not unlike the myriad social games that have made Facebook so potent a force in the gaming market over the past four years.

Recommended Videos

“The shift is from packaged goods to connected products,” said Harrison, “We will continue to support retail with our products for sure. But we are going to keep creating features that are enhanced and improved by the network.”

“What I would encourage you to think is that the disc is the start of a five-year relationship with the gamer, we will try to refine and extend the product over many years. We don’t have to stop doing disc products to be cloud-centric.”

Lift will also be an umbrella for other start-up studios Microsoft grows. Already the London-based studio Dlala, developer of Windows 8 game Janksy, has been acquired by Microsoft and incorporated into Lift London.

Windows 8 and Xbox will be just two platforms served by Lift London. “We are now really a multiplatform studio,” said Harrison, “We’re no longer just competing with traditional console companies, but out competitive landscape includes the likes of Google, the likes of Amazon, it includes obviously the likes of Apple.”

Harrison has a history of transforming massive companies’ fates in the video game industry. While engineer Ken Kutaragi was responsible for designing Sony’s original PlayStation, it was Harrison that evangelized the platform to publishers in Japan, America and Europe prior to its release in 1994. He was instrumental in furthering the adoption of CD-ROM as the format of choice for console games in the ‘90s, and later DVDs with the PlayStation 2 in the ‘00s. Lift London’s output could potentially redefine Microsoft’s gaming business.

Source: VG247

Anthony John Agnello
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Anthony John Agnello is a writer living in New York. He works as the Community Manager of Joystiq.com and his writing has…
This excellent game about waiting is the anti-WarioWare
A boy waits at an airport in While Waiting.

How much of your life is spent waiting? Think about it. Waiting at the DMV, waiting for a train, waiting for an important phone call, waiting for your perpetually late friend to show up, waiting to grow up. Life is a long endurance test of patience.

That’s the simple thesis of While Waiting, a new puzzle game that’s deceptively emotional. On paper, it sounds like a one-note gag. It features 100 bite-sized levels, each tossing players into a familiar life experience that requires some form of waiting. It’s like the anti-WarioWare, swapping five second microgames for drawn out ones that require virtually no reaction time. Don’t let that light premise take your guard down, though: While Waiting is an ingenious bit of video game storytelling that’ll stick with you so long as you’ve got the patience to see it through.

Read more
One of 2024’s most overlooked games just came to consoles. Don’t miss it twice
A young girl in a white dress looks back. She carries a bag and a bow on her back while holding an orange leaf in her hand.

We are currently in something of a Metroidvania boom. With the genre reaching peak saturation, new releases -- of which there are many -- are forced to expand upon the core formula fans know and love in hopes of standing out. Take the thrilling Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist as an example, which imbues the Metroidvania with RPG systems and a focus on player builds. Momodora: Moonlit Farewell, on the other hand, believes that simple is better.

Originally released in January 2024, Moonlit Farewell is the fifth and final entry in developer Bombservice’s Momodora series. While it might not have any ostentatious additions to the basic Metroidvania formula, Moonlit Farewell’s devotion to a sleek rendition of the genre’s core pillars make it a refreshing adventure. The game went under the radar in 2024 but now, with its release on consoles, Metroidvania fans have the perfect way to tide yourself over until Hollow Knight: Silksong.

Read more
Trading digital Pokémon TCG Pocket cards is a risky but lucrative business
Trade cards in Pokémon TCG Pocket.

After Pokémon TCG Pocket released its controversial trading feature, an odd sort of "black market" has arisen around some of the rarer cards. Some players have started to sell the digital cards on eBay, charging anywhere from $5 to $10 per card. Yes, it's a definite violation of the games' terms and conditions, but the real-money trades are difficult to prove and present little financial risk to the seller  — but don't think it's an easy to line your pockets.

The initial release of the trading mechanic was met with backlash from players. Developer Creatures, Inc promised changes to the way the system works, but provided few details regarding how or when those changes would take place — and while there are restrictions on how trading works, those restrictions haven't stopped players from finding workarounds.

Read more