14 DAY TRIAL // The Hasbro Family Game Night is scheduled to debut today, March 18, 2009, on Xbox LIVE, Microsoft revealed. In partnership with Electronic Arts, Microsoft has worked to make available digital versions of classical board games to its Xbox LIVE community. The promise from the software giant is that downloads will go live today, marking the evolution of traditional board games into digital titles playable worldwide.
The first wave of Hasbro releases will involve such games as Scrabble, Connect 4, Battleship and Yahtzee. Gamers will need Xbox LIVE Gold membership in order to enjoy the online multiplayer capabilities of the titles, Microsoft informed. In the next few months, the software giant will also introduced additional games such as Boggle, Sorry! and Sorry! Sliders.
“Hasbro defined the original family game night,” explained Scott Austin, director of digitally distributed games at Microsoft. “Today, Xbox 360 is introducing a new generation of game players to the next generation of family game night through Xbox LIVE Arcade. Families can now connect and play across the globe in addition to across the coffee table.”
Spending quality family time around the evolution of board games in the digital world will cost Xbox LIVE members no less than 800 Microsoft Points per item, of the HASBRO FAMILY GAME NIGHT. Microsoft indicated that in its perspective the price tag associated with the games was designed to find the best value for the quality offered. All the HASBRO FAMILY GAME NIGHT titles can be acquired via Xbox LIVE Arcade.
Of course that the new games have been integrated into Xbox LIVE to the point where they allow users to boost their Gamerscore, but also win Achievements and have a shot at the top spot on the Xbox LIVE Arcade leader boards. Microsoft estimates that it currently offers the Xbox LIVE community in excess of 200 family-friendly games.