14 DAY TRIAL // In an effort to encourage indie game developers and amateurs to use its Xbox 360 platform to develop videogames, Microsoft has announced the launch of the second edition of its Dream Build Play competition. The top prizes offered by the company include 40,000 dollars upfront in cash and a contract for games distribution on the Xbox Live Arcade.
All those interested in the contest must use XNA Game Studio 2.0 to create games that will run on the Xbox 360, and then submit them to Microsoft. Ten finalists will be chosen by the XNA team and they will get a chance to polish their products before final judgment is passed. There are prizes for the most promising 4 games, with second spot taking $20,000, third spot getting $10,000 and fourth spot having to settle for just 5,000 dollars in prize money.
Microsoft has also said that the four top spots of the previous edition of Dream Build Play are now busy adding the finishing touches to their games, which will make their way to the Xbox Live Arcade later in the year.
What Microsoft is aiming to do with this contest is to boost its image as a company focused on innovation and also to get some of the talent that does not access its platform interested in what the Xbox 360 has to offer to small, indie developers.
This comes at a time when the Live Arcade service offered by Microsoft for its gaming console is getting some serious competition from both Sony and Nintendo. Sony is pushing its PlayStation Network as a platform for small, interesting games, while Nintendo has just launched Wiiware worldwide, offering its users a chance to also enjoy downloadable games. Xbox Live Arcade is still at an advantage because of its large library of games and also due to the notoriety of the name itself, but initiatives such as the announced competition are clearly needed to strengthen Microsoft's position.