Microsoft Cancels Project Moorcroft

Microsoft Abandons Project Moorcroft, Shifts Focus to Indie Demo Events

In March 2023, Microsoft canceled Project Moorcroft, a program introduced in June 2022 that would have brought playable demos to Game Pass subscribers. The initiative, proposed by the previous gaming division management, had largely disappeared from public discussion. The program was designed to mirror PlayStation’s Premium tier of PlayStation Plus. Microsoft would fund the creation of curated demos, providing Game Pass subscribers with more content while giving studios a platform to showcase their games to a wider audience. The company would also furnish studios with detailed data on player interactions within each demo. According to Guy Richards, ID@Xbox Global Director, while Project Moorcroft has been shelved, Microsoft will continue to explore other avenues for promoting game demos. Speaking to The Game Business nearly a year after the project’s inception, Richards explained that Microsoft is shifting its focus to broader, independent demo events as part of the ID@Xbox indie self-publishing program, noting that Project Moorcroft “started as an idea for Xbox’s support of demos but ended up going in a different direction.”

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