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Microsoft has announced it will allow game makers who belong to its XNA Creators Club to sell their work on the Xbox Live Marketplace, which is the console's online store.

Microsoft had already announced at the beginning of the year that it would make games developed by amateurs available for the Xbox 360's, but there was no mention of financial remuneration.

Developers could possibly receive up to 70 per cent of the revenue a game generates. Microsoft will keep the rest, though its cut will be more than 30 per cent if a game is prominently featured.

XNA Game Studio, Microsoft's set of software tools for outside developers, is free, but the Creators Club membership is required to submit games for review. Satchell said the people who make the community games range from amateurs trying their first game to university students and professional developers working in their spare time.

Microsoft expects this new announcement to lead thousands of community-created games to be available to Microsoft's gaming audience.