Xbox Games Incubation Programme Launches at Hong Kong Cyberport

6 October, 2004

Local talents will be able to stretch their imagination, innovation and technological skills by joining the Xbox Games Incubation Programme today. Organized by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Ltd. (Cyberport), in collaboration with Microsoft - the developer of Xbox, the Programme aims to nurture local talents in digital games development and enhance the standard and competitiveness of the digital entertainment industry in the territory.

The Xbox Games Incubation Programme will invite and be open to talented programmers and developers to submit proposals of their creative and innovative projects for evaluation. Selected candidates will be offered an excellent opportunity of producing their own titles at Xbox Games Incubation Centre, an integrated game studio soon to open at Hong Kong Cyberport. The Xbox Games Incubation Centre is supported by Cyberport's Digital Media Centre (DMC), the most sophisticated digital content creation facility in Hong Kong. The mission of DMC is to advocate and facilitate digital entertainment development in Hong Kong.

Mrs. Betty Fung, JP, Deputy Government Chief Information Officer, said at the press conference today, "Digital entertainment is an emerging and rapidly growing industry around the world. It has extended its impact across different genres spanning television, movies, games, advertisements, music and education. Building on our well-established movie production foundation, and the creativity of our industry practitioners, Hong Kong's digital entertainment products and service are increasingly well recognized internationally, as evidenced by the many international awards received by our industry in recent years."

"The HKSAR Government is committed to promoting the development of digital entertainment and other creative industries in Hong Kong. Digital entertainment has been identified as one of the focus areas for technological development in the Digital 21 Strategy. To foster the growth of the industry, the OGCIO has implemented a series of measures covering the provision of infrastructure, technology upgrading, research & development and marketing, with an aim to developing Hong Kong as a digital entertainment hub in Asia Pacific. The Xbox Games Incubation Programme is one of the government's latest initiatives in nurturing talents and enhancing the industry's creativity and technological levels by encouraging more local enterprises to take part in video games development in Hong Kong.

"Under the impetus and support of OGCIO, we are pleased to co-organize the Xbox Games Incubation Programme. Leveraging Cyberport's advanced technology platform, we want to nurture more experts, cultivate innovative ideas, and ultimately enhance the overall competitiveness and international recognition of Hong Kong's digital entertainment industry," commented Mr. Nicholas Yang, Chief Executive Officer of Hong Kong Cyberport Management Limited.

"By gaining in-depth knowledge about the Xbox gaming infrastructure, and the latest development skills of the most advanced digital gaming system through the Programme, IT talents will be able to realize their dreams of developing their own gaming software. We believe the Xbox Games Incubation Programme will further accelerate and lay a solid foundation for a successful digital entertainment industry for Hong Kong." Mr. Yang continued.

"We are excited to partner with Hong Kong Cyberport and its Digital Media Centre to heighten the level of digital entertainment development in Hong Kong. The Xbox Games Incubation Programme is a golden opportunity for local talents to expose themselves to the video console gaming - an emerging and significant business among others of digital entertainment in the world. The Programme reaffirms Microsoft's commitment to the Hong Kong gaming industry and developer community." Ms Yolanda Chan, Asia Sales Director, Microsoft Home and Entertainment Division said.

Small-and-medium sized games development companies (except current Xbox games developers), final-yearstudents in post secondary programmes and postgraduate students are eligible to join the Programme.

The judging panel includes academics and industry experts in the field. Applications will be evaluated based on five criteria: 1) design concept, 2) entertainment element, 3) market potential, 4) technical performance and 5) effectiveness of presentation. The winning applications should demonstrate and make use of the unique features of the Xbox platform, including its robust processing power, stunning graphics quality and real-to-life sound performance.

The awards will be delivered in two phases. 5 candidates will be selected in Phase one by January 2005, who will each receive a cash award of HK$ 5,000. The 5 winners will then be invited to enter into Phase Two, which will end in December 2005, to materialise their concept into real Xbox games titles. All winners are eligible to use Cyberport's Digital Media Centre's facilities for 1 year. Upon successful completion of the project, another HK$20,000 will be awarded to each candidate. All games developed through the Programme will be showcased at DMC's demonstration and marketing events. Assistance will also be provided to help put them on the market.

The Programme registration starts today! Want to create your own digital game title? Act now, realize your dreams and be one of the active drivers of digital games development in Hong Kong!

Interested parties may download the application form from xbox.cyberport.hk, and send the completed form with an English project proposal by registered post to Digital Media Centre at Cyberport by 30th November, 2004.

For games developers interested in the Programme, a seminar will be held in Function Rooms 1-3 at Cyberport on 16 October 2004 from 2:30 to 4:00pm to provide further details on the Programme. Experts from related industry will be invited to share their valuable experiences.

For detailed rules, regulations, and further information about the seminar and the Programme, please visit xbox.cyberport.hk, email xbox@cyberport.hk or call the Programme hotline at (852) 3166-3899.