San Francisco (CA) – At the Game Developers Conference 2008, Microsoft celebrated the success of its industry leading Xbox LIVE® Arcade platform with the inaugural Xbox LIVE Arcade Awards. In January, the public cast their votes for their favorite Xbox LIVE Arcade games, and this week Microsoft announced the winners at a private developer reception.

The finalists in each award category were chosen by a panel of select industry journalists. Winners for the first six categories were determined by popular vote, with the final four categories decided by sales and gameplay data, Metacritic score, or staff vote. We're proud to announce the winners!

Best Overall Arcade Game

Bomberman Live from Hudson Entertainment

Fans voted Bomberman Live the Best Overall Arcade Game.

Best Classic Game

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night from Konami Digital Entertainment

Best Original Game

PAC-MAN Championship Edition™ from NAMCO BANDAI Games

The popular PAC-MAN character scored again with the Championship Edition.

Best Family Friendly Game

PAC-MAN Championship Edition™ from NAMCO BANDAI Games

Best Competitive Multiplayer Game

Bomberman Live from Hudson Entertainment

Best Cooperative Multiplayer Game

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1989 Classic Arcade from Ubisoft Entertainment

The turtles won two of the Arcade Awards.

Best Selling Game

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1989 Classic Arcade from Ubisoft Entertainment

Most Played Game

Worms from Team17 Software Ltd.

Highest Rated Game

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night from Konami Digital Entertainment

Xbox LIVE Arcade Staff Choice

PAC-MAN Championship Edition™ from NAMCO BANDAI Games

"The Xbox LIVE Arcade business is currently the strongest it's ever been, thanks to the content provided by the diverse range of talented developers attached to the platform," said Marc Whitten, general manager of Xbox LIVE. "The Game Developers Conference is the perfect venue to recognize the successes of Xbox LIVE Arcade developers, and as we move further into 2008, gamers can expect to see even more quality content land on Xbox LIVE Arcade."

Xbox LIVE Arcade is home to the world’s most innovative independent developers, with more than 25 independent studios serving as the creative fuel behind the original games that represent more than a quarter of the Xbox LIVE Arcade library.

In addition, the number of Xbox LIVE Arcade players has grown 145 percent since this time last year, and together players have logged more than 115 million gaming hours worldwide. There are currently more than 116 games available on Xbox LIVE Arcade, with new content added on Wednesdays.