Microsoft releases XNA Studio Express

Most of the community aspect of the Xbox 360 has been made famous by Xbox Live. But when Microsoft said it wants gamers to be involved with the Xbox 360, most didn't realize it meant actually making games.

Today, Microsoft released XNA Game Studio Express, a suite of applications and tools designed to facilitate game design by eliminating the need to write repetitive code.

The download is free from Microsoft's XNA Web site, and requires a Windows XP-based PC. The kit itself is based on the Visual C# 2005 Express Edition and Microsoft's .NET Compact Framework.

Also debuting today is the XNA Creators Club through Xbox Live Marketplace. Those who join the group will have access to various resources, including assets, samples, and white papers from game vets. The XNA Creators Club costs $49 for four months or $99 for a full-year membership.

"The XNA Creators Club is really the first of its kind--an opportunity to join a community of other developers who are empowered to bring their game ideas to life on a next-generation console system," said Microsoft's general manager of the Game Developer Group, Chris Satchell. "What users will see today is just the beginning of the plans we have to revolutionize game development one creative game idea at a time."