For all those who love and adore Microsoft, MS is offering you the once-of-a-lifetime opportunity: To create your own games, but allow MS to profit handsomely because you use its software tools!
Sarcasm and (possible) groans aside, MS hopes to lure enthusiasts with the "free" software ("XNA Studio Express") to design games they want, eventually hoping they gain such a following as to have their own "gamer" community," with these members creating games for each other (inferring an "on-demand" basis). Of course, with all things Microsoft, there is a catch:
While these games could be for the Xbox 360, PC or both platforms, Microsoft likely does this with ulterior motives. As previously stated, MS envisions profits from a gamers club. However, MS hopes this gains enough of a following to allow it to publish and sell games online. Not only will it control which games are sold, but also will get a sizable chunk of the revenue for doing the "work" of "selling" the product. Naturally, an immediate reason for this is for MS to preempt the Sony PS3 release, as well as Nintendo's Wii.
At the same time, it asserts the programming community this approach might establish will eventually separate the wheat from the chaff. This is obviously intended to save MS money, by having others develop games, shorten game production turn-around, and is a cleverly-disguised "outsourcing" approach, where aspiring programmers put their creative efforts into their desired game, graphics, etc., but of course, MS won't pay them for development, yet MS will reap the "benefits" from having a "success" it did not create.
This also (if successful to the degree MS would like) would greatly reduce marketing efforts, due to word-of-mouth and possibly news from other computer forums. What some might consider as brilliant market strategy, MS will also introduce these tools to 10 colleges this fall, as part of computer courses! The bottom line: MS hopes to find "talent" without traditional recruiting expenses; it hopes online communities will serve as test and focus groups for culling and creating new games; it envisions big $$$ signs as part of a clever campaign; and it embraces and promotes this as a "great opportunity," but mostly as a potentially "great opportunity for it to make money hand-over-fist through gaming club fees and online sales--all without assuming the work and the risk itself.
What's your take on this? What's MS's true motivations? Read the full article here.
Source: news.com
I'm thinking of making one that deals with tall poppy syndrome. From current observations, it'll be a tremendous smash hit.
Geez, this is a good thing guys, quit trying so hard to bash Microsoft. I wouldn't be playing Counter-strike if it wasn't for a gaming company allowing stuff like this. Its even harder when it comes to consoles, since the hardware is usually locked down. This just gives more people a chance to work it. And would it really have to be a game? Couldn't someone use the SDK to develope a media center or other application for the XBox?
[edited by Rhelic on 22.08.2006 01:01]
Happy Birthday to you 
