"Matter," a Microsoft-produced Kinect exclusive from the mind of "Pirates of The Caribbean" director Gore Verbinski is no more.
According to Joystiq, a Microsoft representitive confirms that "Microsoft Studios is no longer pursuing this title," but wasn't forthcoming with details on the situation.
First announced at E3 2012, "Matter" was expected to be part of, if not headline, this year's Xbox Live "Summer of Arcade" release promotion. The only released media for the game was a short announcement trailer, which showed a metal ball floating through a vaguely "Tron"-like world of blocks. Based on that first glimpse, we expected some kind of puzzle game.
Speaking with Joystiq last year, Microsoft Studios VP Phil Spencer said "Matter" would make people "feel emotion" in a medium that, while stimulating, rarely generates a physical or emotional response:
"To a lot of people who haven't played games for a long time, somebody standing completely stationary with a controller in their hands kind of seems emotionless, even though we know that we'll be sweating or twitching," said Spencer. "And [it was] his feeling, that with motion and movement, that the connection of the emotion that's happening on screen and how the player feels would be more natural."
Assuming "Matter" was a puzzle game, it's unclear what kind of emotion the game would hope to get out of people. Frustration, maybe?