Microsoft confirms XNA no longer in active development

After rumours last week, Microsoft has confirmed it has "no plans" at present for future versions of XNA, the development environment powering Xbox Live Indie Games.

"XNA Game Studio remains a supported toolset for developing games for Xbox 360, Windows and Windows Phone," a Microsoft representative told Polygon.

"Many developers have found financial success creating Xbox LIVE Indie Games using XNA. However, there are no plans for future versions of the XNA product."

This suggests the latest version of XNA, which released in October 2011, is the last, and Microsoft will not address any issues or provide new features from here on in. It's not clear if Microsoft intends to replace XNA with a new development environment ahead of its expected new console launch or if it is stepping back from Xbox Live Indie Games.

Happily, DirectX is safe and sound.

"Microsoft is actively investing in DirectX as the unified graphics foundation for all of our platforms, including Windows, Xbox 360, and Windows Phone. DirectX is evolving and will continue to evolve. We have absolutely no intention of stopping innovation with DirectX," the Microsoft representative added.

Thanks, Destructoid.