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Fancast Xtra: the Microsoft blogger's breakfast


Microsoft has made the blogger's breakfast something of a tradition at GDC. Joystiq's Chris Grant attended last year, and this year I was proud to include myself in the same company. The blogger's breakfast is essentially a question and answer session for (you guessed it) bloggers. In attendance from Microsoft were Shane Kim, managing director of Microsoft Game Studios, and Chris Satchell, general manager of the Microsoft games group. In between bites of eggs and bacon, the two execs were bombarded with questions ranging from user created content and Xbox Live Arcade, to Peter Jackson and episodic content. We captured audio of the event for you all to hear. You can download the MP3 by hitting the "read" link. Subscribers to the Fancast will receive the audio automatically. Download and enjoy, but keep in mind you'll have to tune out the sounds of furious keyboard tapping, clinking plates, and the crinkling plastic of bloggers trying to unwrap delicious maple syrup.



Microsoft bloggers breakfast:

  • XNA, user created content, Vista version launches in April

  • 360 hardware problems and what Microsoft is doing to address them

  • How the competition affects Microsoft's strategy

  • How Live reached 6 million users

  • The state of Live Arcade

  • Live for Vista strategy

  • Xbox Live subscribers numbers

  • How to deal with Partner Net leaks

  • Live Arcade redux: What's wrong with it?

  • How can Live performance be improved?

  • Are retro games hurting XBLA?

  • Will XBLA ever have a release calendar?

  • What happened to Viva Piñata? What is Microsoft doing to woo the mass market?

  • Is XBLA hindering innovative retail titles?

  • Episodic content on the horizon (Peter Jackson is developing two episodic series)

  • Microsoft's downloadable content guidelines Does shady content hurt Microsoft? Will Microsoft standardize content?

  • Halo 3 and the decision to include the beta in Crackdown.

  • The Halo property gives episodic content a bigger chance at success.

  • Are you worried about Sony's new Home service?