With E3 still out of the picture until July, many have been left to wonder when the Big 3 will announce their plans for the upcoming year. For Microsoft, that time could come during this year’s Game Developer’s Conference occurring February 18-22.
Microsoft’s John Schappert, corporate VP of Live, software and services is scheduled to deliver a keynote address on February 20 titled “A Future Wide Open: Unleashing the Creative Community.” An email directly from GDC earlier today made the announcement:
“Schappert’s keynote explores the Xbox 360 platform’s next step in democratizing game development, vastly opening up the industry for developers of all sizes. The session will set the strategy for Xbox 360 this upcoming year, revealing top developers’ plans for the platform in 2008. Schappert will discuss how the increasing role of online gaming will continue to shape gameplay and game distribution this year.”
It’s possible that the company will direct some of its focus toward the Community Arcade, a planned publishing branch for users of the XNA development toolset. Keep it tuned here during mid-February for all the info.
