Microsoft today released the XNA Game Studio 2.0, the
next generation of its game development platform for
Xbox 360 and Windows.
The new version builds upon XNA Game Studio Express,
released one year ago, and includes the ability to
create online, cross-platform multiplayer games for
Xbox 360 and Windows using Xbox LIVE and Games for
Windows ? LIVE, respectively. XNA Game Studio 2.0 adds
more than 15 new features and is available for download
from
http://creators.xna.com.
"When building XNA Game Studio 2.0, we wanted to offer
everyone the opportunity to utilize the rich gaming
environment of LIVE used by AAA developers for titles
such as 'Halo 3' and 'Gears of War," said Chris
Satchell, general manager of the XNA organization at
Microsoft. "We accomplished our goal with this new
toolset, and, best of all, it remains highly accessible
to students, hobbyists and pros alike."
Many of LIVE's best features are supported by XNA Game
Studio 2.0 with minimal to no coding necessary to
activate them - features such as matchmaking, which
uses LIVE to find the best games for gamers to play
based on their location and Internet connection. In
addition, XNA Game Studio 2.0 supports game
development with all versions of the Microsoft Visual
Studio product line.