Eight 360 dev kits donated to Aussie industry

Victoria state government to donate eight Xbox 360 development consoles to game industry body.

Game development companies in the Australian State of Victoria received a boost today when the Victorian government announced that it will donate eight Xbox 360 development kits worth A$65,000 ($52,000) to the industry.

The dev kits will be given to the Game Developers Association of Australia (GDAA), which will then loan out the kits to various development studios across Victoria.

This announcement is part of a larger policy called Game Plan: Game On, which is designed to provide a boost to local game developers.

"Games development is an expensive and fast-paced business. Developers have a brief window of opportunity to purchase a kit, develop a game, and get it into the marketplace," Tim Holding, Victorian Minister for Information and Communications Technology said.

Companies interested in putting their hands up for one of the kits will need to put in an application to the GDAA. Throughout the duration of the loan, the GDAA will monitor the progress of game development and will help developers in the process of getting new games to market.

Tom Crago, president of the GDAA and the CEO of Tantalus Interactive, said the kits would be available not only to smaller developers, but to larger studios as well. "We have this great platform now called Xbox Live Arcade, which enables small developers to launch titles around the world on a small budget."

Australia's games development industry employs more than 700 people in Victoria, with more than half of the country's development studios based there.

55 Comments

  • anamnawshad

    Posted Apr 2, 2007 11:13 am PT

    Nice

  • lostn

    Posted Apr 2, 2007 10:28 am PT

    To everyone peeved by my post:

    So it's only 8500 each kit now? Will that really make a difference? Sure, you can do a backyard job with it, but if you can't afford that much, then you don't have the resources to make a serious game really and support it. I don't think you'll be able to stand much of a chance either way in the gaming industry if you don't have even minimal resources like 8500.

    Yes, occasionally someone does make something that gets attention and gets them recruited, like Team Fortress, but it's very rare.

    If you have the talent, just get a job at a dev who can give you a chance. On your own, the best you can do are simple live arcade style games which will hardly make the most of an xbox360's abilities. With costs of development being this prohibitive in the HD era, do you really think you will get far if you were donated a kit that you couldn't afford? There are other expenses you know in development besides the kit, with the big one being manpower. You still won't be able to overcome those expenses.

    "Wow, that's probably the most stupid thing I have ever heard. I knew people made dumb comments but, did you even think before posting...? : \"

    ----> Did you? You didn't even have anything of substance to add or say back.

    "WOW, nice one dude.... Seriously, I can't afford the cost of higher education today, I really should have just quit with high school, right? Wait, what? I got scholarships? Naw, since I can't afford it anyway I really shouldn't go, that would just be stupid or something. Honestly people will find something to criticize even the nicest gestures."

    ----> Awesome analogy, disregarding the fact that the government will pay for your higher education when you can repay it slowly each year as you work... Of course, everyone who goes to high school must go to higher education or they shouldn't bother right? Because there are no professions out there that you can enter without tertiary qualifications...

  • JoeSmith34

    Posted Apr 1, 2007 7:40 pm PT

    This is something I think Microsoft or Bill Gates, or some of the other billionaires at Microsoft should match. When government spends that much money to improve the economy on one particular product, it would be nice if the company making that product (Microsoft) either gives them one heck of a deal, or better yet--matches that deal and also donates some development kits.

  • Everon22

    Posted Apr 1, 2007 3:41 pm PT

    Wow, surprising to see that an actual state recognizing video games as an industry. Didn't realize the software kits cost so much!

  • cjcr_alexandru

    Posted Apr 1, 2007 8:56 am PT

    What has Microsoft to do with this?

  • -HCMF-

    Posted Apr 1, 2007 6:49 am PT

    good stuff

  • jhz

    Posted Apr 1, 2007 4:38 am PT

    What does a 'dev kit' consist of? And why the hell does it cost $52,000?

  • sammysalsa

    Posted Mar 31, 2007 5:03 pm PT

    It wasn't Microsoft that donated the kits, it was the Victorian Goverment.
    for all of you who seem to think it was M$ :-s

  • chikahiro94

    Posted Mar 31, 2007 4:20 pm PT

    Looking forward to Aussie flavored games

  • Modx22

    Posted Mar 31, 2007 11:29 am PT

    Well that is just so nice of them. good job guys i should apply

  • OfficialBed

    Posted Mar 31, 2007 11:26 am PT

    thats nice of them :]

  • lobobizarro

    Posted Mar 31, 2007 6:27 am PT

    To all Sony Fanboys dissin MS, saying MS is greedy is like claiming Sony is not greedy. With all due respect, Major Companies are in the business of making MONEY. The more money they can make the better. If you owned a several billion dollar company, it's your job to make more. If you were a company that was "nice and not greedy", you would NOT be a billion dollar company. No big company, MS and Sony included, does anything "out of charity", they always get something in the end. Both of those companies are in the business of making money. Neither Sony or MS is doing anything wrong, they are doing what they are supposed to do. And time to time they do nice stuff like this, but possibly cause they can also make great profit some way or other.

    And for the record, MS donates more money around the world than major company in the World. Cause they can.

  • darendt69

    Posted Mar 30, 2007 6:27 pm PT

    M$ donates a ton of money yes, but its far from them just being nice. Do they want to donate for a better cause, Im sure they do. But its a huge tax right off as well. They also have some "charities" they donate to that BG owns.

  • Rentago

    Posted Mar 30, 2007 5:50 pm PT

    RUGBEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

    Also, MS donates billions around the world. People think MS is greedy, rips people off, and is a cheap company. But in truth they are the largest company in the world at the moment, they make billions if not millions daily and they use that money in donation around the world.

    I would have to say if there is any problem with MS it is probably some of the people who work there and manage it, its hard not to get some half assed bastard in disguise as a loyal and hard working employee.

    And this is off topic but I'm tired of hearing 4-15 year olds saying they work for microsoft, wtf is up with that?

  • MASTERCHIEFUSMA

    Posted Mar 30, 2007 4:39 pm PT

    MS is anything but greedy, MS is a typical company which obliviously is to make money, and if you read the news MS has donated a ton of money for alot of things. this is a good thing and i hope MS does this more often

  • BumFluff122

    Posted Mar 30, 2007 4:29 pm PT

    Romanticide...

    You do realize tha Microsoft along with Bill Gates and his other companies donate the most money in the world to charities do you not?

  • warjunkyd85

    Posted Mar 30, 2007 4:15 pm PT

    great news. maybe finally i can get my hands on a next-gen rugby game

  • jjjgem

    Posted Mar 30, 2007 2:57 pm PT

    this is such a good thing.....

  • matrixman2k

    Posted Mar 30, 2007 2:39 pm PT

    Still MS with their bottomless pocket and a chequebook full of billions should have done something like that... If nothing else atleast they would have all these extra titles and support from smaller development houses. And MS get to sell more consoles. I think MS is being a greedy lot.

  • phaqutomb

    Posted Mar 30, 2007 1:41 pm PT

    all i got to say is they cost $6500 in the us dollar . Im glad the government stepped in to help out a little bit

  • aramitz

    Posted Mar 30, 2007 10:37 am PT

    Almost as much as 3D studio max costs these days isn't it?. Even the studio featured in gamespots 'Indie-velopment' admitted they were using expired license keys and begging for free stuff. Development software is mad insane expensive. Well done for the Australians for following the lead of the French arts council & Canadians? in promoting the game creation industry.

  • Selfdestruct9

    Posted Mar 30, 2007 10:33 am PT

    "Romanticide

    Microsoft? Donate?

    I didn't know those words could ever go in the same sentence. Anyway this is really great news."

    Uh.. Microsoft has donated more money than you will ever make in your life to charity, search the great intarwebs.

  • Selfdestruct9

    Posted Mar 30, 2007 10:32 am PT

    How lame, don't expect any hardcore games though, Aussies board bands them all, at best we'll see some E-T titles coming from those studios in the future. :/

  • stejmatty

    Posted Mar 30, 2007 10:30 am PT

    ohhhh, what i would do to get one of those...

  • Weaponsmith

    Posted Mar 30, 2007 10:03 am PT

    Just eight? Looks like some interoffice battling is going to insue.

  • ulrikz

    Posted Mar 30, 2007 9:59 am PT

    Quote: "lostn

    If you can't afford a $65k dev kit, you shouldn't be in the gaming industry, period."

    Wow, that's probably the most stupid thing I have ever heard. I knew people made dumb comments but, did you even think before posting...? : \

  • ultima-flare

    Posted Mar 30, 2007 9:55 am PT

    For all you people saying Microsoft is donating them, the article does not say that, it says the Victorian government is donating them. maybe Microsoft donated them to the government though, but most likely the government bought them from Microsoft, otherwise Microsoft would have given them to the developers themselves instead of letting the government take the credit. Who knows?

  • azizrulez

    Posted Mar 30, 2007 9:47 am PT

    MS is really turning on the charm

  • Romanticide

    Posted Mar 30, 2007 9:44 am PT

    Microsoft? Donate?

    I didn't know those words could ever go in the same sentence. Anyway this is really great news.

  • rwbojorquez

    Posted Mar 30, 2007 9:44 am PT

    Nice new developers means new ideas, i hope.

  • onthe_dl

    Posted Mar 30, 2007 9:28 am PT

    why is ps3 being mentioned here honestly, it has nothing remotely close to do with ps3, frig off.

  • jmartinez1983

    Posted Mar 30, 2007 9:15 am PT

    Quote: lostn

    "If you can't afford a $65k dev kit, you shouldn't be in the gaming industry, period."

    WOW, nice one dude.... Seriously, I can't afford the cost of higher education today, I really should have just quit with high school, right? Wait, what? I got scholarships? Naw, since I can't afford it anyway I really shouldn't go, that would just be stupid or something. Honestly people will find something to criticize even the nicest gestures.

  • Yuck_Too

    Posted Mar 30, 2007 9:09 am PT

    --bossjimbob --

    You got that right. If you think there are a lot of 360 games now wait till XNA has been around a few years and then see how many more developers are making games for us.

  • maxmax1234

    Posted Mar 30, 2007 8:58 am PT

    XboX is awsome, just letting you now

  • skirlnik

    Posted Mar 30, 2007 8:49 am PT

    PS3 PS3 PS3 blah blah blah.

    Sorry, X-box enthusiasts - just kidding. That's what your fanboys do to every Sony/PS3 post.

  • ObiKKa

    Posted Mar 30, 2007 8:01 am PT

    That's great! It's nice to see that the Victorian & Queensland state governments are being very helpful to the game developers. I live in Victoria (whoo!), & I am already aware of the plight of most of the game developers in Australia. I read that they'd all cumulatively need a total of AU $500 million just to be able to develop the next-gen games, as well as catching up with the current & near-future game market. Whoa!

    There is a game developer in Melbourne (VIC), that'd used to make graphics & animations for non-gaming purposes for other companies, like the Scienceworks museum, etc. But now they've evolved into a true game developer, & their 3 upcoming projects really do look very cool. They're called Red Tribe (www.redtribe.com), & their first game is Looney Tunes: Acme Arsenal, which has nice graphics (as seen in the screenshots), & action gameplay design is probably influenced by Raven's X-Men Legends series, & Marvel Ultimate Alliance. But what's even more intriguing about one of the 2 very little-known projects coming out after Acme Arsenal is that you can notice the initials in the "mm" part in the concept art or screenshot address, with a picture of a truck that very ominuously looks like that of the trucks in the Mad Max (see the "mm" part?) movies! Cool! No, I am not advertising this developer, instead, I just wanted to mention the possible Mad Max game to youse all!

  • Sagacious_Tien

    Posted Mar 30, 2007 8:01 am PT

    Fantastic news. I applaud this, and would love to see more Aussie developers create their games and bring them to market.

  • bossjimbob

    Posted Mar 30, 2007 7:52 am PT

    Quote: lostn

    "If you can't afford a $65k dev kit, you shouldn't be in the gaming industry, period."

    That's an idiotic statement. For starters, it sounds like the kits are $8,125 apiece (for a total of $65,000 for eight of them). But if MS really believed only rich development studios should have access to Xbox 360, they would have never offered XNA Studio Express to the public. On the contrary, MORE indie studios should be making games for 360, not less.

  • bossjimbob

    Posted Mar 30, 2007 7:49 am PT

    Cool. More games from Australia.

  • acekicka

    Posted Mar 30, 2007 7:40 am PT

    New developers is good.

  • VolcanoMan001

    Posted Mar 30, 2007 7:27 am PT

    Everyone has to start out somehow...

  • Toadstool1969

    Posted Mar 30, 2007 7:06 am PT

    lostn wrote:
    If you can't afford a $65k dev kit, you shouldn't be in the gaming industry, period.

    That is the most moronic thing I have ever heard. There are a tremendous amount of games developed on shoe-string budgets by garage developers that turn into very cool games. Although most at that level happen to be of the "arcade" type, there are others that go on to become much more. Without an active community of gamers developing their own games, we wouldn't see a lot of the titles on the shelves today. Many of these developers got a break into the industry by creating something "in there own time" which happens to catch the eye of someone with some influence. Either that, or a company likes what they see in the product, and decides to add development effort to it to create a truly great title.

    You've got the most obtuse opinion for a gamer.

  • racerx737

    Posted Mar 30, 2007 7:03 am PT

    good to see MS showin some love to their gaming industry

  • monco59

    Posted Mar 30, 2007 6:49 am PT

    Nice idea. Should result in some quality niche titles and Arcade games...

  • zsc4

    Posted Mar 30, 2007 6:30 am PT

    Its nice to see the Australians really care abut gaming. Not like many other countries, it is really disappointing

  • WillT12345

    Posted Mar 30, 2007 6:11 am PT

    I pretty sure $52,000 is for all 8.

  • epormada

    Posted Mar 30, 2007 6:06 am PT

    $52,000. I've always wondered how much those things cost.

  • McDove

    Posted Mar 30, 2007 5:49 am PT

    This is such great news for the Gaming Industry, Since the Federal Government literally left developers in the cold with the last budget, this is a good change and hopefully not just a short term change, would like to see the other states follow suit, we have some great studio's that have produced to some great games over the years, hopefully this change will help those studios get those games out into the mainstream industry.

  • lostn

    Posted Mar 30, 2007 5:40 am PT

    If you can't afford a $65k dev kit, you shouldn't be in the gaming industry, period.

  • Death_Masta187

    Posted Mar 30, 2007 5:37 am PT

    Id buy that for a dollar...

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