Microsoft Corp. said Wednesday it will make Xbox 360 video games developed by players available for download through the console’s online service.
The new service will double the size of the Xbox 360 game library, to 1,000 games within a year of its launch, scheduled for this holiday season, the company said.
To distribute a game on the Xbox Live service, game creators must use Microsoft’s XNA Game Studio software, which requires a US$99 per-year subscription, or be an XNA Creators Club member. Each game will be vetted for quality and appropriateness by the online community itself.
Creators Club members will be able to test a beta version starting this spring.
In addition, Microsoft announced that game developers also will be able to build games for the software maker’s Zune digital media players.
“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,” John Schappert, a vice-president of gaming at Microsoft, told an audience of about 6,000 game developers at a San Francisco conference.
Microsoft also said this week it will give students free access to its XNA Game Studio 2.0, its video game development program.
The moves to encourage Xbox 360 game development come as the company faces fierce competition from Nintendo Co. and Sony Corp.’s PlayStation in the game console market.
Microsoft would not say Wednesday whether the downloads would be free, or if the service would generate revenue for game developers.
Xbox Live has 10 million subscribers who could potentially play and rate the games.
