The new platform was announced on August 14 in a keynote presentation at Gamefest 2006 by Chris Satchell, general manager of Microsoft's Game Developer Group. By joining a "creators club" for an annual subscription fee of $99, users will be able to build, test, and share Xbox 360 games, and will gain access to materials that will accelerate the game development progress. According to Satchell, this represents the "first significant opportunity for novice developers to make a console game without a significant investment in resources."
XNA Game Studio Express provides an "integrated, seamless development environment" based on Visual Studio Express and .NET that simplifies the integration and use of game content, Microsoft said in a statement. The objective is to encourage 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."
Game development 101Satchell also noted that a number of academic institutions, including the University of Southern California, Georgia Tech College of Computing, and Southern Methodist University Guildhall, plan to offer game development courses based on XNA Game Studio Express and the Xbox 360.
"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," said Michael Zyda, director for Gamepipe Labs at the University of Southern California. "It's ingenious."
The XNA Game Studio Express beta is expected to be available for download on Aug. 30, according to Microsoft. The final version should be available "this holiday season." The company also says 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."
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