Dream Build Play (also known as Dream-Build-Play, Dream.Build.Play, and DreamBuildPlay) is an annual $75,000MS offers $75,000 prize money for Dream.Build.Play 2011 Challenge, vg247.com Microsoft video game contest used to promote Microsoft XNA Game Studio and eventually Xbox LIVE Indie Games. It was announced in 2006,Dream Build Play, dreambuildplay.com archive (2006-Dec-17) started in 2007, and ran until 2012. In 2008 and 2009 it spanned over 100 countriesMicrosoft Reveals the Dream-Build-Play 2008 Winners and Makes Indie Game Development Dreams Reality, ign.comHands-on with Dream.Build.Play (ZTGD), n4g.com and in 2010 it spanned 110 countries.Lumi wins Dream.Build.Play for 2010 – Nets $40 000 for its effort, criticalhit.net It was restarted in 2017 as the Dream.Build.Play 2017 Challenge. Notable winners include Dust: An Elysian Tail2009 Dream-Build-Play winners announced, Dust takes top honor, joystiq.com and The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai.developer spotlight, xbox.create.msdn.com
Concept
Dream-Build-Play, as it was first called, is a game development contest designed to promote and encourage experienced game developers and enthusiasts to create innovative and fun-to-play indie games for Windows and Xbox 360 using Microsoft XNA Game Studio.Microsoft Makes Game Development Dreams a Reality, microsoft.com In 2017, the contest was relaunched to challenge indie game developers to create UWP games across four categories.
Notable entries
Many winners have gone on to be published on Xbox LIVE Arcade:
A.R.E.S.: Extinction Agenda (Entered as A.R.E.S.) Blazing Birds Capsized Cloudberry Kingdom Dust: An Elysian Tail Kung Fu Strike (Entered as HurricaneX, HurricaneX2, and HurricaneX2 Evolution in three separate Dream Build Play contests.) The Adventures of Shuggy (Entered as Shuggy.) The Bridge The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai Yo Ho Kablammo! Zeit²
Dream Build Play Challenges
Here is a breakdown of all Dream Build Play Challenges, including lesser known Warm-Up Challenges:
2007 Warm-Up Challenge
Microsoft offered a Relatives of Spacewar Warm-Up Challenge precursor to the first Dream Build Play, awarding US$500 to the top five entries.Dream Build Play, dreambuildplay.com, archive (2007-FEB-16) The entries had to create a game based on the Spacewar Starter Kit.How to Play, dreambuildplay.com, archive (2007-FEB-19)
Winners
Top 5:dream-build-play warm up challenge winners!, xboxforums.create.msdn.comCongrats to our Relatives of Spacewar Warm-Up Challenge Winners!, dreambuildplay.com, archive (2007-MAR-07)
Earth vs. Mars (Minsk, Belarus) Udder Assault (Bellevue, WA USA) G, (Bologna, Italy) Viduce (Lyon, France) Cracklin Crackles (Chicago, IL USA)
2007 Challenge
Also known as Dream-Build-Play 1.0,Dream Build Play, dreambuildplay.com, archive 2007-DEC-05 this is the first Dream Build Play Challenge. In it, Microsoft offered an Xbox LIVE Arcade publishing contract to the top four entries out of 4,500 participants, with the top two "1st Place" winning $10,000 each and the next two "2nd Place" winning $5,000 each.Microsoft Announces Dream-Build-Play Contest Winners, gamasutra.comMicrosoft Offers Publishing Contract to Four Indie Game Developers, extremetech.com
Winners
1st Place (tie):Dream Build Play, dreambuildplay.com, archive (2007-MAY-13)Microsoft Announces Dream-Build-Play Contest Winners, gamasutra.com Blazing Birds (Burlington, Canada) The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai (Remix) (Marcy, NY, United States) 2nd Place: Gravitron Ultra (Stockholm, Sweden) Yo Ho Kablammo! (Huddersfield, United Kingdom) 3rd Place: Big Sky (Durban, South Africa) Burning Angels (Beijing, China) Chaos (San Diego, CA, United States) Gunstyle (Montgomery, AL, United States) Hasta la muerte (Angoulême, France) Hippocrate's Dilemma (Guilderland, NY, United States) HurricaneX (Shanghai, China) Little Gamers (Brussels, Belgium) Magic Crystals (Wyoming, MI, United States) Proximity HD (Warrenville, IL, United States) Ragu (Tyresö, Sweden) Rocketball (San Diego, CA, United States) Samurai Soul Hunters (latest) (Bothell, WA, United States) Shuggy (Ely, United Kingdom) Sprockets of Strife (College Station, TX, United States) Viduce (Lyon, France)
Blazing Birds, The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai, Yo Ho Kablammo!, HurricaneX, and Shuggy all eventually were published on Xbox LIVE Arcade. HurricaneX was eventually released as Kung Fu StrikeAbout Qooc Soft, qoocsoft.comKungFu Strike Out to Xbox Live today, qoocsoft.com and Shuggy as The Adventures of Shuggy.
2008 Warm-Up Challenge
Also known as the Silicon Minds Warm-Up Challenge,Dream Build Play, dreambuildplay.com, archive 2008-JAN-31 it was a precursor to the main 2008 Dream Build Play Challenge, announced in late 2007Dream Build Play, dreambuildplay.com, archive 2007-DEC-05 this one centered on artificial intelligence and promised an opportunity to interview for at an internship with Microsoft Research, Rare, or Lionhead Studios.Dream Build Play, dreambuildplay.com, archive 2007-DEC-09
Winners
Top 5:Winners, dreambuildplay.com, archive 2008-FEB-25Silicon Minds: Encouraging Intelligent Game Design, research.microsoft.com Conquerator (Nicholas Barratt & Gillian Allen, Dollar Short Games) Hive (Nancy McCourt) iSheep (Markus Jost & Remo Zehnder) Orblast (John Montemorano, What About Gameplay?) Specimen (Brent Strandy)
2008 Challenge
The 2008 Dream Build Play Challenge marks the first time the contest offered $75,000 worth of prizes. First place won $40,000, second place won $20,000, third place won $10,000, and fourth place won $5,000.Winners in Indie Dev Contest, with Video, kotaku.com
Winners
Top 4 Prize Winners:Dream Build Play, dreambuildplay.com, archive 2008-NOV-04 CarneyVale: Showtime, Singapore-MIT GAMBIT Game Lab Battle Tennis, Gasp! Weapon of Choice, Mommy's Best Games HurricaneX2, Qooc Soft
Top 20 (in alphabetic order):Winners, dreambuildplay.com, archive 2008-DEC-19 An Awesome Game (United States) Artoon (United Kingdom) AUTO (Denmark) Battle Tennis (Venezuela) Bennu (Portugal) Biology Battle (Thailand) Blow (Canada) Carney Vale:Showtime (Singapore) Galex-e-mail (United States) HurricaneX2 (China) Petank Party (France) Project X- Trino (United States) Pyramid Camel Boy (United Kingdom) Save Jack (South Africa) Smashell (Italy) Spacehack (South Africa) Streets of Fury (France) Tropos (South Korea) Weapon of Choice (United States) Zeit 2 (Germany)
HurricaneX2 and Zeit 2 were eventually released on Xbox LIVE Arcade.
Weapon of Choice made it into the Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition.Weapon of Choice in Guinness World Records 2010, mommysbest.blogspot.ca HurricaneX2 was eventually released as Kung Fu Strike.About Qooc Soft, qoocsoft.comKungFu Strike Out to Xbox Live today, qoocsoft.com
2009 Challenge
Winners
Top 4:2009 Dream-Build-Play winners announced, Dust takes top honor, joystiq.com Dust: An Elysian Tail, Humble Hearts Max Blastronaut, Coin App Rotor'scope, Nolver Apps HurricaneX2 Evolution, YouYun Tech Top 20 (alphabetic order):Winners, dreambuildplay.com, archive 2009-SEP-13
Avatar Golf, Barkers Crest Studio (United States) BAMBOONO, TAKENOKO (Japan) Band of Bears, Cellar Door Games (Canada) Cloudberry Kingdom, Zealous Studios (United States) Creed Arena, Reedake (Australia) Duality ZF, Xona Games (Canada) Dust: An Elysian Tail, Humble Hearts (United States) Echoes, binary zoo (Australia) Guru-Guru, Gasp! (Venezuela) HurricaneX2 Evolution, YouYun Tech (China) Kaleidoscope, Morsel (Canada) Magnetic Mind, laXarIS (Germany) Masters of Belial, Brain Seal (United Kingdom) Max Blastronaut, Coin App (United States) Mirror, Silver Dollar Games (Canada) Powa Volley, Kydos Studio (France) Rotorscope, Nolver Apps (Spain) Sol Survivor, Cadenza Interactive (United States) Square Off, Team Chaos (Australia) What The?!, Social Loner Studios (United States)
Cloudberry Kingdom, Dust: An Elysian Tail and HurricaneX2 Evolution were eventually released on Xbox LIVE Arcade. Score Rush Extended, a spiritual prequel to Duality ZF, was eventually released on PS4.
HurricaneX2 Evolution was eventually released as Kung Fu Strike.About Qooc Soft, qoocsoft.comKungFu Strike Out to Xbox Live today, qoocsoft.com
2010 Challenge
This year, in addition to the $75,000 in prizes for the top 4 entries, there was an additional $60,000 Old Spice prize. This allowed a single team to potentially win $100,000 in prizes.Dream Build Play, dreambuildplay.com, archive 2010-JAN-27
Standard Dream-Build-Play Challenge
The standard prize money split, labelled a bit differently: $40,000 grand prize, $20,000 first prize, $10,000 second prize, and $5,000 third prize.Dream Build Play, dreambuildplay.com, archive 2010-JAN-27
Microsoft Old Spice Challenge
In 2010, Old Spice launched four scents inspired by Matterhorn, Fiji, Denali, and Cyprus. The contest asked indie game studios to use these same places as inspiration for a funny and entertaining Xbox 360 game, the winner to be used to produce the products.Dream Build Play, dreambuildplay.com, archive 2010-JAN-27
Winners
Top 6Winners, dreambuildplay.com, archive 2010-DEC-20Dream Build Play, dreambuildplay.com, archive 2011-MAR-03
Lumi, Nicolas D. (France) ARES, Extend Studio (Thailand) Prismatic Solid, YO1KOMORI (Japan) Beat Hazard, Cold Beam Games (United Kingdom) Duality ZF, Xona Games (Canada – excluding Quebec) JoyJoy, Radiangames (United States)
Top 20 (alphabetical order)top 20 submissions, dreambuildplay.com, archive 2010-APR-12
ARES, Extend Studio (Thailand) Abaddon, Team Cornflake (United States) Abducted!, Photonic Games (United States) Alien Jelly, Collective Mass (Australia) Armor Valley, Protege Production (Singapore) Beat Hazard, Cold Beam Games (United Kingdom) Capsized, Alientrap (Canada, excluding Quebec) Creed Arena, Reedake (Australia) Duality ZF, Xona Games (Canada – excluding Quebec) Dysnomia, Team Mango (United Kingdom) JoyJoy, Radiangames (United States) King Spray, electronicshed (Australia) Lumi, Nicolas D. (France) Mind Over Metal, Murudai (Australia) Ninja Garden, Kablammo Games (Ireland) Prismatic Solid, YO1KOMORI (Japan) Shape Shooter, Super Jai (United States) Shoot 1UP, Mommy's Best Games (United States) Soul, Kydos Studio (France) The Shadows in the Underworld, Polaris (Canada, excluding Quebec)
ARES and Capsized eventually were published on Xbox LIVE Arcade. Prismatic Solid was eventually published to PS4.Indie Shooters Revolver360 Re:Actor And Prismatic Solid Headed To PS4, spawnfirst.comPrismatic Solid - PlayStation Store, playstation.com Score Rush Extended, a spiritual prequel to Duality ZF, was eventually released on PS4.
2011 Challenge
Winners
Top 4:Winners, dreambuildplay.com, archive 2011-SEP-03Congratulations to the 2011 Dream Build Play winners!, joystiq.com
Blocks That Matter Solar 2 TIC: Part 1 Sequence
Honorable Mentions:Winners, dreambuildplay.com, archive 2011-SEP-03Congratulations to the 2011 Dream Build Play winners!, joystiq.com
Production Quality: Alien Jelly Innovation: The Bridge Fun Factor: Ninja Crash
The Bridge was published to Xbox LIVE Arcade.
2012 Challenge
Xbox 360 Winners
Top 4:Dream Build Play , dreambuildplay.com
One Finger Death Punch, Silver Dollar Games Dead Pixels, CantStrafeRight Ninja Crash, Team Devil Gateways, Smudged Cat Games
Windows Phone Winners
Top 4:Dream Build Play , dreambuildplay.com
Smirkers, Kenneth Bugeja Pixel Blocked!, Daniel Truong Alter Ego, Denis Grachev Cradle to the Grave, COLTRAN Studios
2017 Challenge
PC/Windows 10 Category Finalists: The Forbidden Arts Goscurry Imperatum - WINNER - US$50,000
Cloud/Azure Category Finalists: Stellar Conquest - Winner - US$100,000 Clash of Camelot The Hadron Effect
Console/Xbox One Category Finalists: Fighties - WINNER - US$25,000 King's Guard TD Train Bandit
Windows Mixed Reality/HoloLens Category Finalists: Racket: Nx Windlands