The XNA runtime environment is being retired by Microsoft, the company has revealed. The goal of XNA was to enable easier development of games on Microsoft platforms, such as Xbox 360 and PC. XNA Game Studio helped aspiring indie developers release games via the Xbox Live Indie Games channel.

"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." The program will be retired on April 1st, 2014.

Read more: XBLIG threatened? »

Winners for Microsoft's Dream Build Play contest, which showcases the company's XNA tools, have been decided. The big winner this year was Blocks That Matter from Guillaume Martin, a puzzle-platformer in which you play as a Tetrobot rescuing his creators by drilling underground. As the Grand Prize winner, Martin received a whopping $40,000 in prize money, and has the option of bringing his game to Xbox Live Arcade.

Read more: Other indie winners »