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The following is issued on behalf of the Cyberport Management Company Limited:

Local talent will be able to stretch their imagination, innovation and technological skills by joining the Xbox Games Incubation Programme today (October 6). Organised by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (HKSARG) and Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited (Cyberport), in collaboration with Microsoft - the developer of Xbox - the programme aims to nurture local talent in digital games development and enhance the standard and competitiveness of the digital entertainment industry in Hong Kong.

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 opportunity to produce 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.

Deputy Government Chief Information Officer Mrs Betty Fung said at a press conference today (October 6) that digital entertainment was 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," Mrs Fung said.

"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 recognised internationally, as evidenced by the many international awards received by our industry in recent years.

"The 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 and 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," Mrs Fung said.

"Under the impetus and support of OGCIO, we are pleased to co-organise 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," Chief Executive Officer of Hong Kong Cyberport Management Limited Mr Nicholas Yang said.

"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 talent will be able to realise 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 said.

"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 people 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," Asia Sales Director, Microsoft Home and Entertainment Division Ms Yolanda Chan said.

Small-and-medium sized games development companies (except current Xbox games developers), final-year students 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. Five candidates will be selected in Phase one by January, 2005, and each will receive a cash award of $5,000. The five 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 one year. On successful completion of the project, another $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. 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 November 30, 2004.

For games developers interested in the programme, a seminar will be held in Function Rooms 1-3 at Cyberport on October 16, 2004, from 2.30pm to 4pm to provide further details. 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, e-mail xbox@cyberport.hk or call the programme hotline at 3166 3899.

About Hong Kong Cyberport

Cyberport - Hong Kong's IT Flagship - is a $15.8 billion landmark project managed by Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited and wholly owned by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The project is being developed on a 24-hectare site at Telegraph Bay in the southern district of Hong Kong Island. It comprises four office buildings, a five-star hotel, a retail entertainment complex and a deluxe residential development, aiming at creating an interactive environment that will be home to a strategic cluster of about 100 IT companies and 10,000 IT professionals. The project is being completed in phases from mid-2002 to 2007.

About Digital Media Centre (DMC)

The Digital Media Centre (DMC) is a unique state-of-the-art digital content creation facility located at Hong Kong Cyberport, and a strategic information technology and telecommunications infrastructure project in Hong Kong in support of the Government's Digital 21 Strategy. DMC has been operational since March, 2004, and occupies about 10,000 square feet. The centre provides end-to-end hardware, software and technical support to the fast-growing digital entertainment industries in Hong Kong.

Ends/Wednesday, October 6, 2004

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