Last weeks announcement of the Microsoft XNA Game Studio Framework has confirmed for us our suspicions of the use of the new Microsoft DRM as reported on June 30th. When we posted about the new DRM being worked on by the research team at Microsoft we gave details of a possible relationship to the Zune. We posted how it could be used to facilitate user generated content sales and turn musicians into their own producers and marketing agents. A brilliant move by Microsoft as it would turn every struggling musician into the biggest Zune fan ever. We strongly believe that by courting the content producers Microsoft will take the lead on both Apple and Sony.

In private we discussed the possible uses of this technology with John Porcaro of the Xbox team. In an email sent to John the day after our first post on the DRM we explained to him how cool it would be to allow gamers the chance to design and develop their own games. We also discussed how integrating the Photosynth software Microsoft is working on with the game development would create the ability for user generated virtual reality games.

John was rather silent and we found that odd. With last weeks announcement we understand why he never replied to our suggestions for the Xbox. We had predicted it just 2 weeks before it’s actual release. XNA Game Studio Pro will offer exactly what we said. Xbox users will be able to produce games for the Xbox and Windows for commercial release. That’s absolutely huge for the gaming industry and creates a serious threat to other game companies. Sony had better be very concerned with this. Their strength has always been in their selection of games and by opening up the doors to millions of potential developers Microsoft has changed the game on them.

Check out the Photosynth software demo and then think how cool a tool like this would be for developing games. Users could work with Photosynth to create virtual recreations of real world scenarios and then using the XNA Framework they can develop games to play in them. XNA Game Studio Pro will allow them to make this game available for commercial release under the new DRM. Microsoft has turned every game fan with $100 a year into a prospective video game developer and producer.

In the future the Microsoft DRM will manage sales of user generated games for the Xbox and music for the Zune. It will be possible for one person to develop a video game for play on the Xbox using the XNA Framework and Photosynth software. Another person can use the Zune XNA Framework to produce audio and video content. Or will that be the Zune ZNA Framework and Zune ZNA Music Studio Pro? The two of them could form a partnership and license their content together as an Xbox user developed video game with Zune user developed audio and video content.

Whatever happens it seems certain that Microsoft is serious about building a user driven community behind the Xbox and Zune and the XNA tools and the new DRM are sure to be an important part of things. No doubt it’s more than Apple and Sony that need to look out for this combination of tools and services. What need for a record label when you can create, produce and market your own music? Why get a job at a game company when you can just build your own games?

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