Project Milo
E3 Announcements That Never Saw the Light of Day
Peter Molyneux is widely known as being a dreamer, if not an over-promiser, and on Microsoft’s stage in 2009 he unveiled Project Milo for the Kinect. It was to be an experience revolving around an emotionally reactive artificial intelligence.
The AI was to take the form of Milo, a 10 year old boy. Molyneux promised Milo would be able to recognize emotions from players’ faces and voices using the Kinect. Conversations would have the child respond based on not just the words he recognizes, but also the tone used when speaking.
Activities players could participate in in the game would shape Milo to be unique to each player. Someone who spends time working in the game would have a more studious Milo than a person who does the playful activities, for example. The point was for players to feel an emotional connection to a character they feel they’re inspiring.
Multiple times throughout its development contradicting statements were made about Project Milo being simply a tech demo or a product meant for eventual release. In September 2010 Project Milo, which had come to be known as Milo and Kate, had been cancelled.
“It wasn’t the ambition, it wasn’t the technology; it was none of that.” Molyneux said years later about the problems the project faced. “I just don’t think that this industry was ready for something as emotionally connecting as something like Milo.”
