Microsoft opens Xbox Live to amateurs

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Microsoft opens Xbox Live to amateurs
Ryan Kim, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, February 21, 2008

In an attempt to bring YouTube-style, user-created content to its Xbox Live online service, Microsoft said Wednesday it is throwing open the doors to new community-generated amateur titles.

John Schappert, Microsoft's corporate vice president of LIVE, software and services, took the keynote stage at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco to introduce a community arcade to Xbox Live, which will be stocked with games created by garage developers and budding designers. The announcement builds on Microsoft's courting of independent game developers through the release two years ago of its XNA game tools, a software starter kit for game development on Xbox Live and Windows.

Microsoft said the game tools have been downloaded 800,000 times since they were introduced. Now, the amateur creators can aspire to showcase their handiwork on Xbox Live, which has 10 million paying users worldwide.

"I think of this as games created by the community, managed by the community and enjoyed by everyone," Schappert said.

Chief XNA architect Chris Satchell said the process will be highly democratized, from game creation to distribution. Other developers will review games, ensuring that creators will avoid prohibited material and correctly label their titles for situations including blood, injuries, hostility and cruelty. Then the games will get uploaded to Xbox Live Arcade.

Satchell said there are seven community-based games now available on Xbox Live; by the end of the year he expects community-based games to help swell the number of titles to more than 1,000.

The business models and compensation schemes for developers are still being worked out, Satchell said. Xbox Live will conduct trial tests for user-generated games this spring with a full rollout expected later in the year, he said.

"This is about making a low-friction way for creators to meet 10 million players, and this gives gamers more choice," Satchell said.

Microsoft's move underscores a growing emphasis on tapping independent developer talent in the video game industry. Nintendo on Wednesday announced its WiiWare channel will start May 12, selling independent downloadable games developed for the Wii.

Sony also is trying to lure independent titles to its PlayStation Network.

San Francisco's Kongregate, a Web portal for independent flash-based games, was an early leader in the venue. Jim Greer, CEO of Kongregate, said the big console makers are learning from their Web-based counterparts that simple community-created content can find a big audience.

"What started on the Web is continuing on the consoles, and it's a good thing for everybody," Greer said. "Now you're getting the best rising to the top. In the past, if you had a talented guy in a garage working on a game, they might have passed a game demo to Electronic Arts to get a job. Now that demo can go to Kongregate or Xbox Live and make them some money."

IDC analyst Billy Pidgeon said the move makes sense for Microsoft: It helps build goodwill in the game industry while giving the company its pick of the talent.

"Microsoft doesn't have to pay much to do this, and if something stands out they can take advantage of it," Pidgeon said.

E-mail Ryan Kim at rkim@sfchronicle.com.