Autodesk sponsors Global Game Jam

Autodesk has announced that it is to sponsor this weekend's Global Game Jam, organised by the IGDA and with almost 5000 developers expected to take part.

The middleware company will provide tools to the network of 160 locations in 42 countries that the Jam will cover - starting today and finishing on Sunday.

"Autodesk's sponsorship works perfectly into the educational and professional mission of the International Game Developers Association," said Gordon Bellamy, the organisation's executive director. "It exposes jammers to Autodesk's wide array of top notch development tools and helps them to create incredible games."

And Autodesk's VP for Games, Marc Stevens, added: "The Global Game Jam is a great fit for Autodesk. Our tools help developers unlock their creativity, collaborate and work more efficiently - three factors that will be crucial to jammers. I expect to be impressed by the quality of games produced this weekend."

This year's event is the third time the Global Game Jam has taken place, with the number of people attending having risen steadily from around 1700 in 2009.