Well, it was fun while it lasted. No sooner have rumours filled the internet about the next Xbox console, and the games that may or may not be in development for it, than the alleged source of the leak, Crytek UK, come out of the woodwork to proclaim their innocence.
"Relating to the recent rumours, Crytek do not have any next generation hardware from Microsoft, nor do we know when Microsoft may announce future hardware or what that hardware will entail."
No replacement coming soon, then.
The rumours, which first surfaced on Friday at Videogamer.com, suggested that the games website had access to a high ranking source at Crytek, who in turn had confirmed that the developer were actively beavering away at making a new game for the next Microsoft console. That game was said to be Timesplitters 4 - the latest in a series of first person shooters known for their sense of humour, comedic characters, and, er, monkeys.
But alas, it seems as though the rumours may have been just that - rumours. That said, it does seem strange that a fairly well established site, such as Videogamer.com, would run with a story that turned out to be a complete work of fiction. Could this be damage control on Microsoft's part as they try to keep their next console a surprise, and, more importantly, not damage the sales of Kinect? We're not entirely convinced - but as has often been said, there's no smoke without a fire.
