Amazon buying Double Helix games is without a doubt one of the most random pieces of news I’m ever written. I don’t think there’s a single person on the planet who saw this coming, especially not Microsoft considering it’s them who asked Double Helix to develop 2013′s Killer Instinct for the Xbox One.
To those of you not in the know, rumours have been rampant in suggesting that Amazon are planning to enter the console market at some point in the future. That’s right, a forth contender going up against Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo. From what we understand it’s not some kind of shitty Ouya clone but rather a full fledged system.
If you’re going up against the big three then you’re going to need games to sell consumers on your system and Amazon is doing just that with the seemingly random purchase of Double Helix games. They may not have the best track record when it comes to games but Killer Instinct on the Xbox One was a solid effort and the upcoming Strider looking promising.
So what happens to Killer Instinct then? It was released as free to play fighter with a laughable roster consisting of only six characters but fans were promised post game content throughout 2014.
According to a Microsoft spokesperson speaking to Polygon, fans have nothing to worry about.
“We have thoroughly enjoyed working with Double Helix and wish them success in their next endeavor,” a Microsoft spokesperson said. “We want all of our loyal fans to know that the Killer Instinct team at Microsoft is not changing and that the franchise will remain with Microsoft Studios. We remain dedicated to delivering a great experience and plan to announce our new development partner soon. We’re excited about the future of this popular franchise.”
So there you have it, a half finished game started by one developer that will be seemingly be completed by another and here I was thinking that EA were the worst offenders.
As far as we can tell, Double Helix will likely finish off their duties with Killer Instinct once Fulgore arrives in March and then it’s all Amazon exclusive after that. No word yet on who will continue what Double Helix started but Rare would be a logical choice… oh wait, they’re relegated to Kinect these days.
