Microsoft Unveils XNA Game Studio Express

Under the slogan "Your World. Your Game", the Redmond Company announced the immediate availability for download of the XNA Game Studio Express 1.0. Together with the XNA Game Studio Express, Microsoft unveiled the XNA Creators Club that can be accessed via a $49 four-month subscription or via a 99$ annual subscription from Xbox Live Marketplace.

"The XNA Creators Club is really the first of its kind - an opportunity to join a community of other developers who are empowered to bring their game ideas to life on a next-generation console system," said Chris Satchell, general manager of the Game Developer Group at Microsoft. "When it comes to encouraging development on XNA Game Studio Express and through the XNA Creators Club, the limits are truly endless. What users will see today is just the beginning of the plans we have to revolutionize game development one creative game idea at a time."

The XNA Game Studio Express is a free download based on the Visual C# 2005 Express Edition and Microsoft .NET Compact Framework. The Microsoft XNA Game Studio Express is designed to deliver a video game deployment platform to the general public.

"Xbox Live Arcade has opened up a wealth of new publishing opportunities for established and independent developers alike, so it made perfect sense to also extend this privilege to hobbyists and amateur programmers," said Greg Canessa, group manager of Xbox Live Arcade at Microsoft. "We have a tremendous opportunity to shine the spotlight on up-and-coming talent through the 'Dream-Build-Play' contest, and we can't wait to share their creativity with our gaming community around the world."