Want to develop games? Sign up for Microsoft’s free Xbox Academy (before all the slots are gone)

Everyone wants to be a game developer (until they find out just how much work is involved in making games). But there are still folks who do it and for those folks, Microsoft’s got something for you: a free game development workshop taking place this month called the Xbox Academy Game Development Workshop.

You think this is a mother-flippin’ game?

There are four 90-minute Xbox Academy Game Development Workshop sessions going. You don’t need to attend all of them — one will be enough, since they all cover the same material. What material, you ask? Well, the session will go over “…the basics of game design providing anyone with the knowledge to get you started. From understanding the game development process, to learning how to use developer tools like Unity, you will have a chance to learn new skills directly from leading educators and Playground Games.”

The event is the result of a partnership with East London Arts and Music (ELAM), Games London and Playground Games. You know, the same Playground Games that makes Forza Horizon. We reckon they know a thing or three about making video games.

Get your game-face on. 

If you want to sign up, it’s simple. Just head here, click on Register for one of the four sessions taking place on 12 and 13 September and put in your details. The only requirement seems to be that you’re older than 16 and confirming that you’re able to attend the event. But slots are limited, so you best hurry up. ‘Free’ doesn’t stay available for very long.

There are also a few steps you need to take in order to be ready for the session. You’ll need to have Unity 2020 downloaded and installed, you need to start a new project and then download the 3D Game Kit resource file. You should also test and play the file, so you’ve got some idea what you’re getting into.