Xbox 360 and C#?

[factoid]

in a press release, Microsoft announced that they would be releasing an XNA framework permitting programming in C# for Xbox 360 game development:

Microsoft Unveils XNA Framework and Delivers First of New XNA Tools to Inspire Game Innovation

Company also opens Xbox Live services, giving developers the freedom to further customize in-game online experiences.

SAN JOSE, Calif. - March 20, 2006 - In the face of escalating game development costs, expanding teams and ever more complex hardware technologies, Microsoft Corp. today delivered a pre-release version of the first XNA? Studio tools and unveiled the XNA Framework to attendees of the Game Developers Conference 2006 in San Jose. Microsoft also announced that the company is opening its Xbox Live? server platform to game developers and publishers, allowing them to innovate and extend the Xbox Live experience in their titles.

XNA Studio Eases Game Production Challenges

XNA Studio represents a set of tools and technologies Microsoft is building to help streamline and optimize the game development process.

"Developers need a better way to make games and manage the production process," said Chris Satchell, general manager of the Game Developer Group at Microsof"XNA Studio enables all developers - from major development studios to the two guys moonlighting on a dream project in their garage or dorm room - to create games in new, more efficient ways." /b>

This community technology preview (CTP) represents the first public opportunity for game developers to get their hands on key components of XNA Studio. Included in the CTP is a pre-release version of XNA Build, which provides mechanisms for orchestrating, debugging and optimizing the game build pipeline. XNA Build also provides studios with a foundation that helps them easily identify game asset relationships and dependency information to unlock a wealth of benefits, ranging from incremental content builds to assistance in identifying orphaned or unused content. Tools such as XNA Build enable game developers to spend less time building and maintaining their internal tools infrastructure, and more time creating great game experiences.

"Creativity is the core of Ubisoft's success. Since the very early days of Windows? and Xbox? and now with Xbox 360?, XNA and soon Windows Vista?, Microsoft has provided us with excellent developer tools, support and online services in addition to great hardware," said Martin Sevigny, director of production technology at Ubisoft's Montreal studio. "With this collaboration, our developers can focus on their creation instead of being constrained by the platform."

XNA Framework Simplifies Cross-Platform Game DevThe XNA Framework contains a custom implementation of the Microsoft? .NET Frameworkmework and new game-development-specific libraries designed to help game developers more easily create cross-platform games on Windows? and Xbox 360 using the highly productive C# programming language. Using the XNA Framework, game developers will benefit from the ability to re-use code and game assets in developing multiplatform titles, without sacrificing performance or flexibility.

"We've been writing games for the last 15 years as monolithic, single code bases that are growing unwieldy and complex," said Chris Butcher, lead developer at Bungie Studios. "C# on Xbox 360 lets us think about new modes of programming. It lets us get back to creating a game rather than wresting with code, while maintaining the real-time performance that we need."

With millions of developers worldwide proficient in C#, the XNA Framework is designed to make game development significantly more approachable for independent and aspiring game developers, while enabling rapid prototyping and concept iteration.

"We were proud to be a launch partner with Microsoft for Xbox 360 Live Arcade, and we've been pleased with its success so far," said James Gwertzman, director of Business Development at PopCap Games Inc. "Anything that simplifies the process of creating great casual games and lowers the development complexity for Windows and Xbox 360 is something we're happy to support."

Source

Edited March 22, 2006 by factoid