Game-creating game announced for 360

By Oli Welsh Published 8 January, 2009

Microsoft's Kodu coming in the spring.

Microsoft used its presentation at the Consumer Electronics Game Show yesterday to reveal Kodu, an easy-to-use game-creation package that will be released on the Xbox Live Community Games Channel in the spring.

Kodu can be operated with just an Xbox 360 controller, and to demonstrate its ease of use, a 12 year-old joined Xbox boss Robbie Bach on stage to demo it.

A graphical interface allows you to put together "action-reaction" programming commands based on simple concepts "like vision, hearing and time". You'll be able to piece together game-style "playgrounds" from 200 or so building blocks, or tinker with preloaded levels.

Going by photos from the presentation, the interface seems to use circular selection menus, and to represent commands and rules as strings of icons.

GameSpot's CES report said the young demonstrator manipulated it with "blinding speed". Looking, apparently, "like a simplified version of such programming tools as the Unreal Engine 3, the tool lets players tinker with wire frames, edit event timing, tweak colors, and speed up or slow down gameplay," GameSpot said.

Kodu is intended to serve as an introduction to the basic principles of game design, and to "prevent common programming mistakes", according to lead designer Matt MacLaurin. It will sit alongside the more sophisticated XNA programming environment as a way to create games for the 360 Community Games Channel.

It was designed by Microsoft Research as a tool for children, although the marketing men have had the genius idea of selling it as the Brain Training of user-generated content. "Kodu is the newest game to keep minds of all ages sharp by developing logic, problem-solving and creative thinking skills," said the press release, feeling very pleased with itself.

As yet it's unclear what the limitations are on the games you can create with Kodu, or what (if any) the cost of the package will be, but we'll be watching it with great interest.

Picture of Oli.

About Oli Welsh

Oli is Eurogamer's acting deputy editor and reviews editor and likes to take things one word at a time. He is among the best dressed people in South London.

Read more articles from Oli by visiting the Oli Welsh archive page.

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Comments (35) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • makeamazing #1 3 years ago

    Yawn.... Clickteam have been making easy game creation tools for yonks, and it will still be better than this steaming pile from the money men!

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #2 3 years ago

    If they package it up with teddybear characters, a Go Team soundtrack and an imprecise platforming control scheme, it could be 2009's Eurogamer game of the year!

  • mcbi4kh2 #3 3 years ago

    and to demonstrate its ease of use, a 12 year-old joined Xbox boss Robbie Bach on stage to demo it.

    Letting a 50 odd year old demo it would have been more impressive.

  • Negotiator #4 3 years ago

    MS innovating once again, brilliant.

  • Vistrix #5 3 years ago

    Cant wait to see how awful the level creating restrictions are on this!

  • miiiguel #6 3 years ago

    I wish MS let the inovating to the "trendy" PS/Ninty.

    I want "normal" games.

  • Les #7 3 years ago

    "and to demonstrate its ease of use, a 12 year-old joined Xbox boss Robbie Bach on stage to demo it."

    The fact that stuff like this actually works (putting a 12-year old who's received extensive training with the tool for the past 6 months to successfully create the impression of ease of use) makes me feel sad about humanity.

  • the_dudefather #8 3 years ago

    And everyone on EG loves to have a good moan don't they? :)

    I love to see developers trying out new stuff like this, looking forward to seeing more of it

  • El-Dev #9 3 years ago

    "If they package it up with teddybear characters, a Go Team soundtrack and an imprecise platforming control scheme, it could be 2009's Eurogamer game of the year!"

    "Well as LBP can testify, that's a recipe for a badly playing game with really poor sales, so let's hope that doesnt happen, eh? ;)"

    Still ragin that LBP is better than Gears2 then?
    Don't worry, it'll get easier with every passing day.

    Also the high sales=good game theory is somewhat stupid.
    Edited by 2 at 08/01/09 @ 10:34

  • miiiguel #10 3 years ago

    "Still ragin that LBP is better than Gears2 then?"

    huh? is that some sort of formula now? In my place, I rule... in yours... *someone else* does.


    So someone other than me=saying what game is the best theory is somewhat stupid.
    Edited by 2 at 08/01/09 @ 10:38

  • mazzl #11 3 years ago

    why all the hate, this could be good!
    for puzzlers (like portal or braid) this sort of tool would work really well.

  • penhalion #12 3 years ago

    This it the revival of aproject from 2007 called something like boku I think. It's not trying to copy LBP in any way. From what I remember. It is more akin to that old cube engine in that everything is made of cubes and height adjustments. I have no idea how people were supposed to create the game logic though.

  • ray #13 3 years ago

    If it manages to have 25% of Clickteam products power, it'll be great.

  • Widge #14 3 years ago

    "many others" could also be interpreted as 30 people, or more likely "highly vocal moaners"

  • alpha-0ne #15 3 years ago

    To be clear kodu has been in development for three years in Microsoft research labs.

    Comparing i to Clickteam products that require keyboards and mouse, properties boxes etc is silly.

    This is for xbox360 and pc using a controller.

    It looks like a great way to introduce children to the concepts/decisions needed for programming in a visual way with no technical knowledge needed.

    It looks very easy so a selection of 'Character > Controller 1 > A Button > Move Forward' all via the icons in the menu makes a character move forward when you press a on controller 1.' It all seems contextual aswell so when you get to the a button icon it only shows actions that an a button can do etc etc.


    I dont see how anyone can see this as a bad thing if it helps children get into programming it must be a good thing. Like i said this does nto teach someone how to program but thinking in the correct way to achieve it (and hiding away that technical stuff until later on when maybe they will then look at XNA)
    Edited by 2 at 08/01/09 @ 11:27

  • Rash' #16 3 years ago

    the demos up on gametrailers. the art direction leaves a lot to be desired and it all looks rather dull. primetime looks alot more promising, but again where are the games? ms are in danger of wedging all their bets on online.

  • Eraysor #17 3 years ago

    I just hope they're hurrying up on Primetime, because it's looking like it'll be delayed forever like PS Home.

  • Rash' #18 3 years ago

    alpha, 3 years? really? i find that hard to believe. it truly looks appalling.

  • bioreit #19 3 years ago

    @ Rash'

    "where are the games?"

    Jeez. You really are a fanboy moron, aren't you? The upcoming games for 360 are a mere quick Google search away. Or even a quick browse of the Xbox website.

    Fancy that, Microsoft hiding away a sample list of all the upcoming games on their platform's homepage. Who'd a thunk it? It's like they don't want anyone to know about them, isn't it?

  • moggsy #20 3 years ago

    LBP is fantastic and this sounds very interesting. More power to them.

  • Chufty #21 3 years ago

    How the fuck did this get to an LBP argument ALREADY?? You guys are insane. Get lives.

  • ThePissartist #22 3 years ago

    Want it.

  • Farzlepot #23 3 years ago

    Yonks ago I found a program with similar goals to this on a magazine CD, called Klik & Play I think it was. That incorporated no programming at all if I recall correctly, and it was entirely visual.

    Everything I tried to make sucked harder than a granny with an egg in her mouth.

    Something tells me that I won't be any better with Kodu. If a twelve-year-old can use it well that probably excludes me from being any good at it.

  • DrDamn #24 3 years ago

    @Farticus
    LBP is now approaching 2m worldwide. It may not be a behemoth but I'd hardly call that "really poor".

    "I'm not getting into this debate AGAIN."

    There is a very simple way to avoid it you know ;)

  • DrDamn #25 3 years ago

    @Farticus
    Marketing people maybe. Development budget? It was made by a much, much smaller team than many of todays big titles.

  • DrDamn #26 3 years ago

    True but it didn't need a huge dev team based on the type of game it is. I'll still wager it was a lot cheaper to develop than many big games. Sony will make money on this game - not least because of all the associated micro-transactions.

    Incidentally the only PS3 Christmas release to outsell it worldwide on PS3 was CoD:WaW.

  • ronuds #27 3 years ago

    I think this looks pretty cool. It may not have Gears-like graphics, but it seems the possibilities are endless.

  • DrDamn #28 3 years ago

    @Farticus
    "Hehe, that's hardly an achievement compared to game sales for the other consoles! ;)"

    True, shot in the foot by Sony's inability to sell consoles a little - however it was only outsold by 3 Xbox 360 titles too. (Fable 2, CoDWaW & Gears 2 - all sequels to well performing titles you'll note).

  • DrDamn #29 3 years ago

    Gears 2 - 4.2m
    CoDWaW - 4.2m (360) / 2.5m (PS3)
    Fable 2 - 2.3m
    Madden NFL 09 - 2m (360) / 1.4m (PS3)
    LBP - 1.8m
    Fallout 3 - 1.8m (360) / 1.1m (PS3)

    I missed Madden out last time as I didn't realise it was a Christmas release. If you are feeling generous you can factor in the installed bases and the LBP sales then leapfrog Fable 2 & Madden as well ;). NB: The figures are rounded but Gears did just edge CoD and LBP did just edge Fallout 3. Though obviously the only source we have for this sort of data needs to be taken with a healthy dose of salt.

    Edited by 1 at 08/01/09 @ 16:47

  • ronuds #30 3 years ago

    @ farticus

    Well, if enough people jump on board and start creating stuff, there's bound to be some genius ideas that come from it.

  • DrDamn #31 3 years ago

    Well when you never quantify what good sale figures are you can always come back and say they are poor.

    Coming second in the PS3 sales chart to a sequel to the best selling title of last year and only beaten by a few 360 titles - all sequels - and still selling reasonably still does not = "really poor sales" and I can't see how you can claim otherwise. When you made the claim did you even know what the figures were?

  • Rash' #32 3 years ago

    bioreit, list me two firsty party games that aren't halo coming this year worth getting excited about. go on i'm reasonable, i'll admit if they are. (check my wanted list to gauge a sense of what i consider exciting) until you do it's you that is the moron for not recognising the serve lack of known exclusives this year on 360. how many more halos do we need?

  • DrDamn #33 3 years ago

    Ok Kaz Hirai has just piped up and said LBP has sold 1.3 million. So I've been pwned by Kaz :(.

    A little in my defense I did say the figures needed some salt. Plus you may as well apply the same dodginess to the other figures. Kaz also didn't say when the 1.3 million figure was up to and a good 400k were within the last three weeks for the figures I used - so maybe not so far off.

  • bioreit #34 3 years ago

    @ Rash'

    "bioreit, list me two firsty party games that aren't halo coming this year worth getting excited about. go on i'm reasonable, i'll admit if they are. (check my wanted list to gauge a sense of what i consider exciting) until you do it's you that is the moron for not recognising the serve lack of known exclusives this year on 360. how many more halos do we need? "

    So, not only a fanboy idiot, also a LAZY fanboy idiot. And also one who wants to control what games are allowable. Okay, two games off the top of my head published by MGS are Alan Wake and Forza 3, although I think the latter is still in vague "slated for a 2009 release" territory. How about Ninja Blade? Or Mass Effect 2?

    How's that then?

    /awaits fanboy splutterings of "but...but......those aren't actually programmed by Microsoft.....but....but....RROD....no Blu-Ray... *brain explodes*

  • DrDamn #35 3 years ago

    @bioreit
    I'd say Forza 3 was near definite for this year, they are a dev which can consistently deliver to schedule from previous experience and unlike a certain other we won't mention *cough* Polyphony *cough*