We really haven't heard a lot about Crackdown 2 apart from the really sparse description we got from the game's official site. That's changing a bit today. Details after the super-powered jump.

For those of you who have more than enough experience making homebrew for the PSP or DS, then you're probably aware of the XNA. For those who aren't versed in making games, XNA is a new game development kit that Microsoft has made, allowing people to make their own games (currently PC games only) and then test their workings. With the purchase of a Creators' Club membership, you can also let people play them and try them over XBox Live.

It's currently in the beta testing stage, but it's gotten a lot of positive feedback, and independent game makers seem excited about this new kind of "homebrew," so to speak. One of those fellows who are quite excited about it is long time programmer Bill Thompson (so many Thompsons related to gaming these days...), who got a chance to try out the XNA. Overall, he's optimistic about the future of XNA programming.

While it is a difficult kit to master, Thompson does admit that it opens up the chance for more people to enter the world of gaming and computers from a different viewpoint.  He sees the opportunity for younger kids to get into making games and enhancing the value of education through it.

In fact, Thompson says "many US-based schools and colleges are signing up to offer XNA-based teaching to their students as they see it as an easy way to give people real expertise with a real programming environment." It seems as if the future of independent game development will be assured if the current trend of treating homebrew and indie development with respect continues.

Of course, the kit isn't open source, but it's a good way to introduce indie games to a mass market. At the very least, it's a strong indicator of game companies looking at homebrew development with an eye for the future.