Microsoft: Next Generation of Games Starts With XNA

New Software Development Platform Integrates Innovations Across Industry

SAN JOSE, Calif. - March 24, 2004 - Microsoft Corp. today announced XNA™, a powerful next-generation software development platform. XNA empowers developers to deliver breakthrough games while combating rising production costs and ever-increasing hardware complexity. Games for future iterations of all Microsoft® game platforms - including Windows®, Xbox® and Windows Mobile™-based devices - will be unleashed by tools and technologies from the XNA development platform.