Microsoft Moves Gamefest To Early 2010

Microsoft announced that it has moved the U.S. version of Gamefest, its annual game developers conference, into the first quarter of 2010, after receiving feedback from developers hoping to attend an event earlier in the year. The conference was last held in July 2008, and is typically held during the summer, which Microsoft's partners believe to be inconvenient for studios preparing their releases for the approaching holiday season. "Gamefest ... should revolve around game developers," the company posted on Gamefest's site. "We sought out feedback from developers who attended Gamefest 2008 and we found that, given development schedules and ship dates, the conference would be more convenient if held at a different time in the calendar year." Running since 2005 and taking place in the U.S. and Europe -- though the show existed for several years prior as "Xfest" -- Gamefest has been the company's biggest game development and technology event, providing attendees with sessions and panels relevant to games for Microsoft platforms, from Xbox 360 and Zune to MSN Games and Windows Live Messenger. 2008's Seattle-based Gamefest featured significant announcements like the addition of games for Windows Marketplace, and Microsoft's newest version of its multimedia API package DirectX 11. While Microsoft hasn't picked a specific date for next year's U.S. event, interested parties can sign up to be notified about any additional details or announcements at Gamefest's official website. "In the meantime, we are committed to keeping developers for Microsoft platforms on the edge of technology innovation," says XNA Community Manager Kathleen Sanders, "and we will be exploring opportunities to provide updates through Live Meetings, Web seminars, and of course, through XNA Creators Club Online."