velocity3k Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 SEATTLE -- Aug. 13, 2006 -- In the 30 years of video game development, the art of making console games has been reserved for those with big projects, big budgets and the backing of big game labels. Now Microsoft Corp. is bringing this art to the masses with a revolutionary new set of tools, called XNA Game Studio Express, based on the XNA platform. XNA Game Studio Express will democratize game development by delivering the necessary tools to hobbyists, students, indie developers and studios alike to help them bring their creative game ideas to life while nurturing game development talent, collaboration and sharing that will benefit the entire industry. During his keynote presentation today at Gamefest 2006, a Microsoft game developer event hosted by Microsoft in Seattle, Chris Satchell, general manager of the Game Developer Group at Microsoft, announced details of the new technology, which will be broadly available this holiday season. XNA Game Studio Express will be available for free to anyone with a Windows XP-based PC and will provide them with Microsoft's next-generation platform for game development. By joining a "creators club" for an annual subscription fee of $99 (U.S.), users will be able to build, test and share their games on Xbox 360 and access a wealth of materials to help speed the game development progress. This represents the first significant opportunity for novice developers to make a console game without a significant investment in resources. During his keynote, Satchell talked about academic institutions that are lining up to include XNA Game Studio Express in their course offerings. Also showcased was the work of key XNA supporters Autodesk Inc. and GarageGames. Through the Microsoft XNA relationship with Autodesk, the leading provider of 3-D authoring software, game developers and enthusiasts can now more easily incorporate content into XNA Game Studio Express via Autodesk's FBX file exchange format. Joining Satchell on stage was Mark Frohnmayer, president of GarageGames, who showcased ports of its next-generation Torque tools and technology over to the XNA Game Studio Express platform. * XNA Game Studio Express Opens Up Game Creation to the World By providing an integrated, seamless development environment based on Visual Studio Express and .NET that simplifies the integration and use of game content, XNA Game Studio Express makes game development easier to accomplish for smaller projects, strongly increasing the chance for great game ideas to make it out of the concept stage and into the hands of gamers everywhere. The XNA Game Studio Express beta will be available Aug. 30, 2006, as a free download on Windows XP, for development on the Windows XP platform. XNA Game Studio Express will give anyone with a Windows XP-based PC access to a unified development tool that liberates the creation of great Xbox 360 and Windows XP-compatible games, providing a new alternative to the existing multithousand-dollar development kits that many console games require. The final version of XNA Game Studio Express will be available this holiday season. "XNA Game Studio Express will ignite innovation and accelerate prototyping, forever changing the way games are developed," Satchell said. "By unlocking retail Xbox 360 consoles for community-created games, we are ushering in a new era of cross-platform games based on the XNA platform. We are looking forward to the day when all the resulting talent-sharing and creativity transforms into a thriving community of user-created games on Xbox 360." Not only will XNA Game Studio Express turn the community into creators, but a second XNA toolset geared toward game development professionals is scheduled to be available in spring 2007, fundamentally changing the way commercial games are developed. * The Beginning of the Game Developer Revolution From students at colleges, universities and high schools of the future to the proverbial "guys in the garage," Microsoft XNA Game Studio Express will liberate anyone with a great game idea to create titles for Xbox 360 and Windows XP simultaneously. More than 10 universities and their game development schools -- including University of Southern California, Georgia Tech College of Computing and Southern Methodist University Guildhall -- have already pledged to integrate console game development and XNA Game Studio Express into their curricula for the first time, and Xbox 360 will be the only console at the center of all coursework. "Great game ideas are incubating in the minds of students everywhere," said Michael Zyda, director for Gamepipe Labs at the University of Southern California. "With XNA Game Studio Express, Microsoft is investing in these next-generation innovators, creating the canvas for dreamers to express their powerful game ideas. In incorporating XNA Game Studio Express and Xbox 360 consoles into our Gamepipe program, USC will be able to better provide game studios and publishers around the world with a newfound wellspring of talent and opportunity. It's ingenious." In addition, GarageGames, technology provider and developer of one of the most successful Xbox Live Arcade titles, "Marble Blast Ultra," has migrated both its Torque Shader Engine and new Torque Game Builder 2-D visual game designer over to the XNA Game Studio Express platform. "The GarageGames mission has always been to provide top-tier technology, tools and community to independent and aspiring game developers," said Josh Williams, CEO of GarageGames. "We are excited that Microsoft is demonstrating leadership by taking the revolutionary step of opening up game development for Xbox 360 to hobbyists and students. In aligning our tools and technology with XNA Game Studio Express, we're helping even more individuals with the creativity and drive to make video games bring them to life on both Windows XP and Xbox 360." Source | http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=10458 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy1 Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 I figured this would be how Microsoft would start with community-developed games. Any way you look at it, this is nothing but a huge positive for the 360. I'm very glad to see Microsoft taking the initiative with this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PL_ Veteran Posted August 14, 2006 Veteran Share Posted August 14, 2006 :woot: +1 for Xbox! How do you think this will work in Marketplace? Also, isn't it risky to publish games without PEGI ratings? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matrix XII Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 ohhh yeahhhh!! 360 ftw :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy1 Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 Microsoft will still approve every game before it hits the Marketplace. It's not going to be a free-for-all, with anyone who pays $99/year being able to sell their game. As for ESRB/PEGI ratings, I'm sure they'll be handled exactly as they are now for XBLA games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonax Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 Also, isn't it risky to publish games without PEGI ratings? Participation in the PEGI system is voluntary, at the discretion of the developer in question. However, I'm guessing Microsoft will have something to cover that issue. :) Although this is a big step for MS in boosting community game development - Sony has usually been a one-horse race in that field due to their PS2 (and soon PS3) community dev kits. I personally don't like the price tag ($100/year?), but it'll be interesting to see what's made as a result of this. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magik Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 Participation in the PEGI system is voluntary, at the discretion of the developer in question. However, I'm guessing Microsoft will have something to cover that issue. :) Although this is a big step for MS in boosting community game development - Sony has usually been a one-horse race in that field due to their PS2 (and soon PS3) community dev kits. I personally don't like the price tag ($100/year?), but it'll be interesting to see what's made as a result of this. :) $100/year is not that much considering you can make ~$5 per sale to over millions of XBLA users. And that's only XBLA, what about full fledged DVD-pressed games? Oh man, this is exciting, I can't wait to see what the community and indie developers come up with!! :drool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doli Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 Microsoft XNA site sign-up for XNA Game Studio Express Beta (coming August 30) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bhav Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 :o OMGOMGOMG!!! Microsoft the copycats, how dare they?! The world is coming to an end...they don't innovate, they steal everyone's ideas. http://www.playstation.com/beyond :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magik Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 ^ Hmm... I don't think that's exactly the same thing. :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon Live Veteran Posted August 14, 2006 Veteran Share Posted August 14, 2006 lol @ bhav. Yeah, I must have missed something on Sony's site about free development tools and the ability to compile and execute actual code on my own retail Xbox 360 for $100. The distribution mechanism is still up in the air. This FAQ includes a lot of great details though. Q: How exactly will I be able to run a game built with XNA Game Studio Express on my Xbox 360? A: On Windows, you?ll be able to develop, test and distribute software created with XNA Game Studio Express for free. When you sign up for the nominally priced annual subscription to XNA Game Studio Express for Xbox 360, you?ll be able to write a game on Windows, then send it to your Xbox 360 to test and enjoy. Eventually, you?ll be able to distribute that code to other Xbox 360s, opening up a unique publishing avenue which will democratize game development on consoles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spenser.d Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 :o OMGOMGOMG!!! Microsoft the copycats, how dare they?! The world is coming to an end...they don't innovate, they steal everyone's ideas. http://www.playstation.com/beyond :laugh: That's absolutely not the same thing. You don't have to sign up or be approved at all to start developing your own stuff. You just have to download the XNA Software. And as far as I know Sony doesn't have anything that matches XNA for ease of developing between platforms (PC & 360 for XNA). -Spenser Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PL_ Veteran Posted August 14, 2006 Veteran Share Posted August 14, 2006 That's absolutely not the same thing. You don't have to sign up or be approved at all to start developing your own stuff. You just have to download the XNA Software. And as far as I know Sony doesn't have anything that matches XNA for ease of developing between platforms (PC & 360 for XNA). -Spenser Oh dear...isn't that what happened in 1984? Nobody had to be approved, so everyone went rampant? Surely the games have to be approved? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon Live Veteran Posted August 14, 2006 Veteran Share Posted August 14, 2006 Oh dear...isn't that what happened in 1984? Nobody had to be approved, so everyone went rampant? Surely the games have to be approved? He means you don't have to pitch an idea and get it approved in order to write a game. You just download the tools and start coding, and then you can test / debug / play on your own retail X360. As for distributing games with or without approval later on, that much hasn't been announced yet (other than the fact that you're free to share your source code with other Creator's Club members who can compile and run the games on their machines - basically defeating the need for "mod chips" in the homebrew community). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadrack Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 This is cool. I can't wait to start playing with it. Hopefully we will get some good community games that are fun to play w/ a good price (free..heh). It is true that modern games take huge budgets, huge staffs, and a lot of time. At the same time, the game market is VERY competitive and I am under the impression that most games barely break even if at all. This makes it very difficult for new game studios to break into the market. But a truly clever and innovative idea can create an extremely fun and successful game that does not require the huge budgets. Take Tetris for instance. As far as longevity and popularity are concerned, Tetris is king. And it was created by a video game hobbiest in Russia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magik Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 Yea, this really is a great thing. The Xbox Homebrew community was very active and published some really quality stuff (XBMC to name one). Now with this freely available XNA Development Software the Xbox 360 Homebrew community will grow exponentially and we can expect to see some truly amazing stuff... all of which will more than likely be Xbox 360 Exclusives because this type of development simply isn't there (yet?) for the PS3 and the Wii. Excellent news for Xbox 360 and unfortunately another negative tally for the PS3. Not sure how much of an impact this will have on the Wii, however, but we'll see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PL_ Veteran Posted August 14, 2006 Veteran Share Posted August 14, 2006 Yea, this really is a great thing. The Xbox Homebrew community was very active and published some really quality stuff (XBMC to name one). Now with this freely available XNA Development Software the Xbox 360 Homebrew community will grow exponentially and we can expect to see some truly amazing stuff... all of which will more than likely be Xbox 360 Exclusives because this type of development simply isn't there (yet?) for the PS3 and the Wii. Excellent news for Xbox 360 and unfortunately another negative tally for the PS3. Not sure how much of an impact this will have on the Wii, however, but we'll see. Well, the Wii's big idea is that the development kits are cheap anyway, so it wouldn't make sense to them to offer a cheaper than cheap dev kit. And E-Distribution? Pfft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magik Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 Well, the Wii's big idea is that the development kits are cheap anyway, so it wouldn't make sense to them to offer a cheaper than cheap dev kit. And E-Distribution? Pfft. How much are Wii dev-kits? Just curious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PL_ Veteran Posted August 14, 2006 Veteran Share Posted August 14, 2006 How much are Wii dev-kits? Just curious. A quick Google tells us that they are under $2000, and they are rumored to be FREE for certain studios (the smaller ones) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomwarren Veteran Posted August 14, 2006 Veteran Share Posted August 14, 2006 Great idea Microsoft (Y) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gigapixels Veteran Posted August 14, 2006 Veteran Share Posted August 14, 2006 I'm just happy because I want to just try game creation in the first place. (Y) I can't wait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nexus Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 Very smart and innovative concept. Now just waiting for someone to create a Virtual Reality porn, because you know someone will submit such a thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magik Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 A quick Google tells us that they are under $2000, and they are rumored to be FREE for certain studios (the smaller ones) I see... but still, this new solution from Microsoft seems much more accessible, no?OT: Looks like Microsoft has already established a blog relating to this new announcement: Xbox360Homebrew.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deaf Spacker Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 Very smart and innovative concept. Now just waiting for someone to create a Virtual Reality porn, because you know someone will submit such a thing. Microsoft would never approve it ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spenser.d Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 I see... but still, this new solution from Microsoft seems much more accessible, no? OT: Looks like Microsoft has already established a blog relating to this new announcement: Xbox360Homebrew.com I'm pretty sure that's not a Microsoft site, but could be useful once this gets in full swing. And @ Pure - With Sony's deal you have to be approved before getting any tools (not sure if they even provide them) to build your game. With XNA Studio, you don't have to be approved unless you want your game deployed on XBLM. -Spenser Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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