We are still just under a year before E3 2012 will start in Los Angeles but already the rumors have already started about what will be revealed in Los Angeles on June 5-7 2012. Videogamer.com has posted up a story via unnamed sources that claims Microsoft plans to debut its successor to the Xbox 360 game console with the next 12 months which would be perfect timing for a reveal during E3 2012.
The story claims it got this info from an inside source at game developer Crytek who also claims that the developer is making the upcoming first person shooter sequel Timesplitters 4 as a launch title for Microsoft"s next console (Crytek acquired the UK-based developer Free Radical who created the first three games in the Timesplitters series). The source also claims that Timesplitters 4 was actually shown privately at E3 2011 in video form. Microsoft and Crytek did not comment on the story.
It further claims that the game will be based on CryEngine 3. While Microsoft has supposedly not yet nailed the final hardware specs for the next console, the story claims that Timesplitters 4 is using DirectX 11 graphical features. Ironically, the first CryEngine 3 based game, Crysis 2, was released back in March with no DirectX 11 support for the PC version.
Crytek is already working on a Kinect action game for Microsoft for the Xbox 360 titled Ryse. A couple of teaser trailers for the game, previously known as Codenamed Kingdoms, have been shown, but so far the game itself has yet to be revealed.