Microsoft’s Xbox Live XNA plans – Worthwhile or worthless?
The last few months have seen a downturn in Xbox 360 sales. Will Microsoft’s new Xbox Live XNA user developed games plan make any difference to the console’s fortunes?
It’s not been a good few months for Microsoft, with Xbox 360 console sales down, the Red Ring Of Death continuing to rear its ugly head, HD DVD losing out to Blu ray in the high definition DVD format war, and the PS3 starting to sell in larger numbers.
So what’s Microsoft’s big plan for the near future? Trying to make the Xbox Live community a kind of YouTube for gamers, by allowing user created games to be distributed through the service to its 10 million members.
At the Games Developers Conference on Wednesday, Microsoft outlined the plan to open Xbox Live up to budding games developers, by allowing anyone using the company’s XNA Game Studio software to create a game and then be made available through Xbox Live.
Yahoo! reports John Schappert, a Vice President in Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment unit, as saying:
“The time has come for the games industry to open its doors to all game creators, enabling anyone to share their creations with the world,”
“Our goal is to drive a creative and social revolution in games with the same transformative power that we’ve seen in digital music and video sharing.”
All Xbox Live gamers will have access to the games, and be able to rate them in order to sort the wheat from the chaff, and I expect to see a lot of chaff.
The move is intended to double the amount of games available through Xbox Live, with Microsoft hoping the service will boast more than 1,000 by the end of the year. But the question is, will any of them be any good?
Certainly the first batch don’t exactly fill me with enthusiasm. JellyCar is described as being “about driving a squishy car through squishy worlds, trying to reach the exit.” Wow, sounds great.
While the PS3 has a whole host of big exclusives lined up for the coming year, including Metal Gear Solid 4, Gran Turismo 5, Final Fantasy XIII, Killzone 2, and Tekken 6, the Xbox 360 has Gears Of War 2, and games like JellyCar.
This move to give gaming back to the masses may have some merits but I don’t think it’s really what Microsoft need to be focussing on right now, with the Xbox 360 heading in the direction of a definite third place in this generation of consoles.
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5 Responses to “Microsoft’s Xbox Live XNA plans – Worthwhile or worthless?”
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February 22nd, 2008
worthless…especially given this
http://kotaku.com/359668/microsoft-cuts-indie-royalties-in-half
February 22nd, 2008
Thanks for the link Professor.
Damn, Microsoft know how to cut their nose off to spite their face don’t they.
If that rumour is true then I’d definitely say worthless.
February 22nd, 2008
Uh – Gears of War 2, Fable 2, Ninja Gaiden 2, Too Human, Alan Wake, APB? Gears will most certainly sell more than any of those Sony games you mentioned.
February 22nd, 2008
@ Larry
A single grand turismo game sold more than the previous titles from what you just said combined. Just fyi.
Too Human and Alan Wake shouldn’t be on that list because you do not know if they will be good or not yet.
February 26th, 2008
How do you know any of these games (PS3 or 360) will be good?
The Xbox 360 will have plenty of good games release this year.
Also, don’t forget about Little Big Planet for the PS3 (at least I hope it’s released this year). I think I’m looking forward to that game the most and I don’t even own a PS3 yet.