Microsoft Launches Surprise Free Xbox One Game for 8 Players (or More)

It's always fun when a newly announced game at an event like E3 is released immediately; there's just something nice about bucking the usual trend of announcing a game months or years before its release. Today, Microsoft did just that, launching a new, unannounced Xbox One game--and you can get it right now for free.

Voice Commander is the creation of Microsoft Garage, an internal group of Microsoft employees and interns from various disciplines who are given the chance to tackle various projects. VC is described as a space-themed hybrid of real-time strategy games and top-down shooters.

You play using a combination of controllers and Kinect voice controls to stop attacks against Earth. Up to eight players can do so using controllers, and any number of players can contribute using voice commands, making it an ideal game for the Duggars or people with much bigger groups of friends (and apartments) than me.

The 370 MB game is available right now on the Xbox Store. You can check out a handful of screenshots in the gallery below (click for a full-size view).

This is just one of several Microsoft Garage projects unveiled today. As CNET reports, others include non-gaming apps for Android devices, including one that lets you twist your wrist as an alternative to the "OK Google" voice command.

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