GameDevMike

Following on from it’s release of it’s current line of Visual Studio products in ‘Express’ editions targeting amateur and hobbyist programmers, Microsoft is preparing to release an Express edition of its XNA Game Studio. A beta is scheduled for release by August 30, with the final version coming sometime during the holiday season.

XNA Game Studio Express will be free to those making games for the Windows operating system. The big news is that it will also open the door for people to create games for the Xbox 360. Development of the console games will require a $99 annual subscription, but it’s still a revolutionary step. Now any old Joe or Jane who can learn their way around game development and the XNA toolset can potentially create the next big Xbox 360 hit.

One of Microsoft’s executives made some encouraging comments regarding the plan:

Peter Moore, vice president of Microsoft’s interactive
entertainment business, said individuals will own the games
they create using the tools and that the company will do
revenue sharing deals with people who create games for the Xbox
360.

“I’d love to send a royalty check to a kid,” said Moore,
who added that Microsoft hopes to get the tool kit into high
schools.

Microsoft bashing is a popular sport, but with deals like this they are aggressively, and successfully, attempting to tie more future game developers exclusively to their platforms. I know that Mac users are a significant market for Indie game developers, but this sort of thing is tempting even to me.

Technorati Tags: Microsoft, Xbox 360, XNA Game Studio, game programming