Microsoft to Open Xbox 360 Game Development Tools to All

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 21, 2008 - 12:34pm.

San Francisco - Microsoft (NASD: MSFT) has announced that it will make games for its Xbox 360 console developed by aspiring creators available for download via its Xbox Live service. The service will require that developers use Microsoft's XNA Game Studio software, available for a $99 annual subscription, or be a member of its XNA Creators Club. The game creation software will be made available to users beginning in the spring. Submissions will then be vetted by members of the amateur game creator community, and Microsoft will begin releasing the first user-created games in the fall.