Back in 2013, Microsoft offered a fleeting glimpse of a new spy game, then known as Project Ranger. This ambitious title, crafted by Blue Tusk Studios (later renamed The Collective), was shelved more than ten years ago. Now, fresh reports reveal that Project Ranger was intended to be Xbox’s direct competitor to Sony’s immensely popular Uncharted series.
Gaming historian Liam Robertson recently delved into Project Ranger on his ‘Did You Know Gaming’ channel, uncovering significant details about the game Microsoft and Black Tusk once championed. Despite a brief 30-second teaser showcasing Shanghai, the project was envisioned as a ‘third-person action shooter’ akin to ‘Uncharted, but with spies,’ featuring globe-trotting missions across various international cities.
The game drew heavy inspiration from the *Mission: Impossible* films, incorporating a sophisticated, James Bond-esque gadget system for players to use against adversaries. Developers even considered integrating Kinect functionality, allowing players to receive mission briefings and tips from their handler via voice chat. Crucially, these controls would have also been fully accessible through traditional methods, not solely relying on Kinect.
Despite its exciting premise, the report suggests Project Ranger was always on shaky ground. Its fate was sealed in 2014 following Microsoft’s acquisition of the *Gears of War* franchise, which then redirected The Collective’s focus entirely to that series, leading to Project Ranger’s ultimate cancellation.
Intriguingly, Microsoft’s own *Perfect Dark* reboot aimed for a similar spy-thriller experience, but it too was recently canceled this year amidst extensive company layoffs. That project was a collaborative effort between The Initiative and Crystal Dynamics. However, The Initiative has since closed its doors, and Crystal Dynamics has also endured several rounds of workforce reductions. A rumored deal with Take-Two to salvage the *Perfect Dark* reboot reportedly collapsed due to disagreements over intellectual property ownership.