When we first heard about the Xbox One X, it was made clear by Microsoft that the upgraded console wouldn’t be forced upon developers. They could make enhancements as they saw fit and build the game they wanted to build without having to tick any extra boxes for the Xbox One X.
One developer has used their freedom to just use the console as their lead development platform. Microsoft’s own Playground Games (Forza Horizon series) is currently working on an unannounced game that strays away from their racing roots and is heavily rumored to be Fable 4 and they’re going to be taking advantage of the power of the Xbox One X to make their new title.
This will allow the studio to build the best possible game and they can scale it back for the Xbox One S as well as help get a competent PC version.
“We are obviously beginning development on a new unannounced title right now. And the lead development platform for that game is Xbox One X, which is great for us, and ultimately for the players in a number of ways. First of all, it’s great to develop for, it’s incredibly powerful, it has more memory than we’ve ever had. So it’s a great piece of kit to be developing your game on. And the easier and faster you can develop, the more stuff you can get done.” said creative director Ralph Fulton speaking to DigitalFoundry.
“I definitely think that during development, we see trickle-down benefits to other platforms we develop for, such as the Xbox One, or even PC. And I think that comes from the standardized unified test tools we are working on.” Fulton continued.
They even noted that the console is really easy to develop for and makes it more convenient for them to develop across the whole console family.
“Ease of development in the Xbox One X’s make up provides a really great development platform,” said Fulton when speaking to DailyStar, “not just for that console but also the whole family of devices and even PC.” Fulton also noted that using the Xbox One X as a development kit will allow the entire Xbox One family to see improvement.
