Microsoft Corp said on Thursday it has scrapped plans to roll out an online game that was supposed to help it revive the fortunes of its Xbox game console in Japan. "True Fantasy Live Online," a multi-player online role-playing game, was expected to be the Xbox"s answer to Square Enix Co Ltd"s immensely popular online version of Final Fantasy, only available for consoles on Sony Corp"s PlayStation 2 (PS2).
Microsoft officials prominently displayed the game at last year"s Tokyo Game Show, saying it would be a way for the Xbox to win over Japanese gamers, known for their love of role-playing games. After three years of development that saw the game"s launch target pushed back three times, Microsoft said it decided not to publish the game because it failed to live up to expectations. Japanese video game developer Level 5 created the game for Microsoft, which in March pushed back the title"s launch date until winter from an earlier spring target.