Rumor Mill: Volition, Rare and Lionhead Working on Xbox 720 Games

A report in the United Kingdom based Xbox World magazine hints at the fact that a number of well known video game developers linked to Microsoft are already working on titles that will be launched on the next generation console, which has been widely called the Xbox 720.

The magazine says that Rare, which has been known for its Kinect based games but has also worked on the likes of Perfect Dark Zero, Kameo and Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, is creating a new intellectual property that will be a launch title for the next gen Microsoft home console.

Lionhead, which is at the moment preparing a Kinect enabled Fable game for 2012, is also said to be working on a Xbox 720 game as is Turn 10, which is in charge of the Forza Motorsport franchise.

The Insider column also mentions Remedy, with Alan Wake 2, and Volition, which is ready to deploy Saints Row: The Third this year, as companies that might be preparing to deliver launch titles for a new console.

It's not clear what sources the magazine has access to or if it's basing its list of developers purely on speculation.

Microsoft has not officially talked about creating a follow up for the Xbox 360 and has insisted that it has long term plans for the device, as seen by the creation and the launch of the Kinect motion tracking system.

Rumors have mentioned that an announcement about a new home console will be made at the 2012 edition of the E3 trade show, with the actual launch linked to 2013.

Nintendo has already announced that it was working on the Wii U, which will include a new controller and graphics power similar to that of the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3, with the launch date set for the summer of 2012.