Microsoft selling software tools to create video games

DALLAS (AP) - Hoping to spur interest among video game enthusiasts, creative types and students, Microsoft Corp. said it plans to offer a consumer version of the professional software tools used to create video games for its Xbox 360 console.

The XNA Game Studio Express programmes, an offshoot of the company's more robust XNA Framework, will be available Aug. 30 for a $99 (euro77.50) annual subscription, the company announced Monday.

The software, which requires a Windows PC to operate, will let anyone with the desire create their own video games and then share them on Microsoft's Xbox Live online game service, said Peter Moore, a Microsoft vice president.

"It's our first step of creating a YouTube for video games,'' Moore said, referring to the wildly popular free online video sharing Web site.

"It will give you everything you need to bring your game to life on Xbox 360.''

The program would be a first for consoles, which traditionally have been the exclusive domain of skilled programmers, artists and designers.

Moore said the program is basic compared to the pro tools, which cost tens of thousands of dollars.

Though it's designed to eliminate much of the tedious hand-coding involved in making a game from scratch, some basic programming skills are still going to be needed for the consumer version.

Analysts cautioned that making a game - a multidisciplinary process requiring artists and animators, programmers and mathematicians - will never be easy.

"It's going to allow very talented individuals to actually be able to do a game in a few weeks instead of taking years and spending millions of dollars,'' said Richard Doherty, research director at the Envisioneering Group.

Moore described the games users would be able to make as rudimentary.

He said future plans may include additional software packs consumers could buy to tweak their games.

Microsoft will regulate the content for appropriateness and intellectual property issues, but users will own their work, Moore said.

Rob Enderle, an analyst with the Enderle Group, said such software could get younger people more interested in choosing video game development as a career.

"There's a problem where kids have stopped getting excited about getting into software development,'' he said.

"One way to get kids excited about it is to give them something they want to do. A lot of kids play video games.''

Moore said several schools, including Southern Methodist University in Dallas, the University of Southern California and Georgia Tech, already plan to incorporate the software into their curriculum this fall.

"It's a critical need in the evolution of how video games are made,'' said Peter Raad, executive director at SMU's Guildhall video game school.

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Hmm.. wait... Aug 30 is for the Beta which only allows for Windows game developement first. After the actual release then only we can start creating for the 360.. something I'm really looking forward to.

USD99 for a yearly developement subscription.. hmm.. gotta check this out.

Very interesting. We'll see how this goes

hmmmm. but if microsoft provide that tools for free. the scene might be more lively. come on, they are not going to have profit pon kalau talented programmers buat simple2 game. Ada betol tak kawan?

Later when you look up someone's gamertag you'll have the option to "View this Gamer's Games"

then nanti sony pon release benda sama.

Show this Gamer's Interactive Entertainment

No. to be able to develope and run community developed games on the 360 you need to pay a yearly subscription fee of USD99. Which for those in the know is VERY VERY VERY cheap.

I'm really looking forward to this.

There are people who are saying now we're gonna see viruses running around rampantly on the 360, no. That's not the case, first of all everyone will be registered in order to develope and run the games.

2nd it's very likely they'll sandbox the games so it can't touch other save games, I'm wondering if they'd corall off network access as well, but we'll see.

Damn, lets start a local company now and start producing xbox360 for the world. We malaysian can do it, we have game brains who is producing games for ps2.

there was an article in xbox360 gamer magazine, talking about this small company (cant remember what it is called, something that starts with G) that is making this game called Small Arms for the XBLA. apparently, that company which comprises of 4 ppl only, 2 programmers and 2 artists, took nearly a year to complete the game. Well, i cant wait how good that game going to be.

A check in wikipedia, to produce a full console game require US$10-20mil, to produce a generic mobile game less than RM30k, to produce games for XBLA = ?.

so is anyone interested in this? yes, USD99.00 is very d cheap.

To produce an XBLA game takes about USD10k for the dev kit and other required things alone. For XBLA the cost is lower than a full on 360 developement cost but still a lot.

You can't sell the games you make with the XNA studio on the 360, it doesn't work that way. But what XNA Studio and the Game Creator's club gives you is the ability to try out your hand at actually developing for a console with legitamate tools even though you might just be a hobbyist.

I'm definetly looking foward to more details.

xbox 360 is a community driven consoles. I know Live makes what Xbox 360 today. This would be another enhancement for the community and oppurtunity who wants to make game as a living. Sapa itu budak belajar buat game, ini would be good for him la.

Other things i don't know, dev kit is 1000 USD in this case

Is it? ok, in any case.. USD99 a year.. still good...

Did you read or not? Microskop is going to release small-scale dev-kits not the full-scale one. The small scale can be used to create simple2 games. One of the way to inftroduce gaming development to the talented. One of these days, those talented will be working at any developers. Well who knows?

necro : did you read or not? he was commenting on the cost of the full dev kit not the xna studio express.

aa. my mistake. sorry.