Microsoft to Allow Anyone to Make Games for XBOX 360

Dyre Straits · Aug 14, 2006, 01:52 PM

An article in the online DIGIT magazine gives some information about this:

Monday 14 Aug 2006 - 12:40
A new game development platform from Microsoft allows anyone to create games for its Xbox 360 console, the company said on Monday.

Typically, console games are designed by large studios that must pay high prices to buy development kits in order to write games for consoles. Microsoft's XNA Game Studio Express is a new development kit, to be released in beta form in August, that will be available for free to anyone using a Windows XP PC. The kit is designed for game developer novices as well as studios, Microsoft said.

Users will have the option of joining a developers group for $99 per year in which they can share and test their games with other designers and access information that could help them speed up the development process.

More than ten universities, including the University of Southern California, Georgia Tech College of Computing and Southern Methodist University Guildhall, will include the new platform in the curricula of their game development schools, according to Microsoft.

http://www.digitmag.co.uk/news/index...il&NewsID=6016

**Vikingod** · Aug 14, 2006, 02:16 PM

Great idea IMO, good for the system as well as the industry.

SFOSOK · Aug 14, 2006, 03:17 PM

Man...that means that bad games are goin to be cranked out like PS2

MiDri · Aug 14, 2006, 03:55 PM

Man it's not that great... 99$ a year to be able to do it and only people playing 99$ a year can play your games.

SFOSOK · Aug 14, 2006, 04:01 PM

Could be good for the students trying to get a job in the industry ; )

friedmonky · Aug 14, 2006, 04:04 PM

If I am reading this GameSpot article correctly, this will also be for PC game development.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6155590.html

FM

YAYitsAndrew · Aug 14, 2006, 04:44 PM

I'm jumping right on this. I'm hoping I can port Pencilvania to it relatively easily.

Dyre Straits · Aug 15, 2006, 12:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MiDri

Man it's not that great... 99$ a year to be able to do it and only people playing 99$ a year can play your games.

If I read it right, the $99 per year is optional. That's to actually be able to work with some of the pros, I think.

Markius · Aug 15, 2006, 12:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MiDri

Man it's not that great... 99$ a year to be able to do it and only people playing 99$ a year can play your games.

i think you may misunderstand, it is $99 to people who want to join this "group" of dev's that can share/talk etc about their games.
You dont have to join.

I have seen nothing to say that once (in theory lol) you have made your game on these free dev kits, you can release it for sale....