MS foot-dragging on 360 MMOs is "baffling," says Cryptic boss

Cryptic CCO Jack Emmert has described Microsoft's apparent deadlock with developers over how MMOs are to work on Live as "baffling".

His comments, made to VG247 in this week's podcast, mirror those given to us by the FFXIV team in Cologne this month, which said the Square MMO was a timed PS3 exclusive partly because the publisher was in ongoing discussions with Microsoft about how it's to work on Live.

"Microsoft's a big company, and they have to work out all the various issues related to MMOs," said Emmert.

"It just takes time for the big beast known as Microsoft to get moving. I really have no explanation other than that, because it's as baffling to developers as it is to everyone else."

Cryptic has a 360 version of Champions Online which is "ready to go," according to the developer, but the chances of the console game releasing anywhere near its imminent PC counterpart sound distant.

"This year? I don't know," Emmert said of the 360 release.

"Right now we're just talking with Microsoft. Right now the ball is firmly in their court. We're ready to go, but until we get the go ahead from Microsoft, right now we're sort of waiting."

Champions Online releases for PC in both the US and Europe next week.