Microsoft Invites the World to Create their own Xbox 360 Console Games for the First Time Ever
Over 10 esteemed universities to add XNA Game Studio Express and Xbox 360 game development into their curricula starting this fall

SEATTLE, Wash. — August 14, 2006 — In the 30 years of video game development, the art of making console games has been reserved only for those with big projects, big budgets and the backing of big game labels. Now, Microsoft is bringing this art to the masses with a new set of tools based on the XNA platform, called XNA Game Studio Express. XNA Game Studio Express is a revolutionary tool that will democratize game development by bringing the necessary tools to hobbyists, students, indie developers and studios alike to bring their creative game ideas to life, while nurturing game development talent, collaboration and sharing that will benefit the entire industry.

During a keynote presentation at Gamefest 2006, a Microsoft game developer event hosted by Microsoft in Seattle, Chris Satchell, Microsoft General Manager of the Game Developer Group announced details of the new technology, which will be broadly available this holiday. XNA Game Studio Express will be available for free to anyone with a Windows PC and provide them with our next generation platform for game development.

During his keynote, Satchell talked about ten leading academic institutions that are lining up to include XNA Game Studio Express in their course offerings – including Georgia Tech, USC, Guildhall, and the Rochester Institute of Technology! Also showcased was the work of key XNA partners Autodesk and GarageGames. Through Microsoft XNA’s partnership with Autodesk, the leading provider of 3D 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 onstage was Mark Frohnmeyer, President of GarageGames, , who showcased ports of their next generation Torque tools and technology over to the XNA Game Studio Express platform.