Dated: 16 December 2008
MDA offers grants to budding game developers to create games for Xbox LIVE Community Games Channel
This holiday season brings good tidings for budding game developers in Singapore. From today, anyone with the passion and the talent will have the opportunity to create and quickly commercialize their games on the world’s most popular online marketplace for gaming consoles - Xbox LIVE. This will be boosted by a grant of up to S$50,000 for each successful application from the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) under the MDA-Microsoft XNA Development Initiative.
Xbox LIVE Community Games is a new games distribution channel that promises to democratize game development and revolutionize the way consumers get and play community-created games on Xbox 360. It allows consumers to create, submit and start commercializing their creations with minimal barriers of entry.
On the MDA-Microsoft XNA Development Initiative, Mr Seto Lok Yin, Assistant CEO (industry), MDA said: “We are extremely excited to work hand-in-hand with Microsoft on this initiative. Together, we can help discover young talents who will come on board to use the platform, test their creations, and market their games for revenue generation. Now, we can equip game developers with the full-spectrum process flow, from concepts to product launch, and progressively building up development capabilities for larger titles. This initiative fits perfectly well with our effort to nurture Singapore media talents.”
Singapore is the first country in Asia to launch developer access to the Xbox LIVE Community Games Channel today, less than a month after the service was launched in the United States and parts of Europe.
CarneyVale:Showtime, first Singapore game set to be published on Xbox LIVE Community Games Channel
Along with the launch is the debut of CarneyVale:Showtime, the first Singapore game set to be published on the Xbox LIVE Community Games Channel. Developed by the Singapore-MIT GAMBIT Game Lab1 , a collaboration between the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the multi-agency Interactive Digital Media R&D Programme Office (IDMPO) hosted by MDA, the game had earlier beaten 350 entries from around the world to win the top prize of US$40,000 at the 2008 Microsoft XNA Dream-Build-Play competition. With the deployment, millions of Xbox gamers in the world will now be able to purchase and enjoy CarneyVale:Showtime for about S$8 or 400 Microsoft Points.
"I am very pleased with the results that have been shown by the students from the Singapore-MIT GAMBIT Game Lab. It proves that Singapore students have the capability to produce a game that is of international stature," said Ms Teo Chor Guan, Programme Director, Singapore-MIT GAMBIT Game Lab. This positive outcome complements Singapore’s IDM R&D efforts to fuel innovation for commercialisation and making an impact internationally.
An Explosion in Next-Gen Gaming Content
A host of new and creative ideas created with the freely available Microsoft XNA®Game Studio software are already appearing on the Xbox LIVE Community Games channel. They include 3-D fighting experiences like “Colosseum” and games for the entire family like “Word Soup.”
By the end of 2008, Xbox 360 owners are expected to have access to the largest, most creatively diverse game library across all next-generation platforms, with over 1000 titles spanning Community Games, Xbox LIVE Arcade and retail Xbox blockbuster titles like Gears Of War®2.
Said Mr Alan Chou, Regional Marketing Manager, Xbox 360 in South-east Asia: “Xbox LIVE is the leading online console gaming service with over 14 million members and we’re thrilled to announce the launch of Community Games access to developers in Singapore. Microsoft has made it easier for budding developers to make the next Xbox 360 hit. MDA’s enthusiasm and strong support for Community Games will go a long way in growing the local gaming industry, while the trailblazing path set by Team Gambit will inspire many more to follow.”
There is already a ready pool of budding talent raring to get onto Community Games. Singapore Polytechnic’s School of Digital Media and Infocomm Technology (DMIT) is the first in the region to offer a 15-week module utilising the XNA Game Studio software, with a lab fully-equipped with 22 Xbox 360 consoles. With the launch of Community Games, students taking the module will be required to submit their final game assignments for peer review and potential release on the channel.
Dr Timothy Chan, Director of DMIT, said: “The Xbox LIVE Community Games Channel gives students an invaluable opportunity to experience the complete workflow in game development, from conceptualisation to development to marketing of their own games.”
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Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA)
The Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) was formed on 1 January 2003 to champion Media 21, a blueprint to transform Singapore into a global media city. Media 21 seeks to create a vibrant media environment by establishing Singapore as a media exchange, exporting Made-by-Singapore content, internationalising local media companies, nurturing local media talent and developing digital media.
More information on MDA can be found on www.mda.gov.sg.
Interactive &Digital Media (IDM) Sector
The development of the IDM sector requires the collaboration of a diverse range of public sector agencies, educational institutions, industry players and other stakeholders. To achieve this, the National Research Foundation has allocated $500 million over the next five years from 2006 to fund the development of a strategic IDM research programme and the set-up of a multi-agency IDM R&D Programme Office within the Media Development Authority of Singapore to oversee R&D initiatives in the IDM space. This multiagency team coordinates a cross-disciplinary effort to deepen Singapore’s research capacity in IDM.
More information on IDM and the Singapore-MIT GAMBIT Game Lab can be found on ww.idm.sg and http://gambit.mit.edu.
The National Research Foundation (NRF)
The National Research Foundation (NRF), a department under the Prime Minister's Office, sets the national direction for research and development (R&D) by developing policies, plans and strategies for research, innovation and enterprise, funds strategic initiatives, builds up R&D capabilities and capacities through nurturing our own and attracting foreign talent, and coordinates the research agenda of different agencies to transform Singapore into a knowledge-intensive, innovative and entrepreneurial economy. It provides secretariat support to the Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council (RIEC), chaired by the Prime Minister. A five-year budget of S$5 billion has been allocated to the NRF in 2006 to achieve this mission.
For more information, please visit www.nrf.gov.sg.
About Xbox 360
Xbox 360 is a premier video game and entertainment system. It is home to the best and broadest games plus more entertainment than any other device connected to the TV. The digital center of the living room, Xbox 360 blends unbeatable content, including personal pictures and music, with a unified online social network called Xbox LIVE to create a limitless entertainment experience that can be shared at home or across the globe.
More information can be found online at http://www.xbox.com
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
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