Frontier’s axed Microsoft Zoo was an effort to console with Zoo Tycoon

UPDATE: We have removed the image of Microsoft Zoo from this story after a copyright claim was filed.

ORIGINAL STORY: There was once a game called Microsoft Zoo, developed by UK studio Frontier Developments.

The senior GUI artist on the project shared screenshots (which have since been removed) of the abandoned attempt to bring Frontier’s Zoo Tycoon franchise to consoles.

Microsoft Zoo combined elements of zoo creation and animal interaction within a third-person adventure, and served as a precursor to the Kinect launch title Kinectimals.

The images showcased today feature an eye-catching, family-friendly design. One image demonstrates how you could “entice” your animals by pressing the A button at the opportune moment.

Work on Microsoft Zoo came to a halt when Microsoft began emphasizing games that would be compatible with its Kinect motion sensor. Frontier’s Kinectimals was released in November 2010 alongside the device. The studio followed up with Kinect Disneyland Adventures and Kinectimals: Now with Bears.

The studio is currently working on Elite: Dangerous, the crowd-funded installment in the series co-created by Frontier boss David Braben.