Microsoft and Warner Bros. Pictures Assemble All-Star Team in LeBron James, Bugs Bunny and Xbox to Celebrate Gaming and Coding Education Inspired By The Upcoming Animated, Live-Action Adventure 'Space Jam: A New Legacy'

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REDMOND, Wash., Dec. 15, 2020 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

    -- Fans can submit their best video game ideas and join free coding workshops with Microsoft

Microsoft Corp. and Warner Bros. are tipping off an epic partnership,

celebrating the release of the new movie "Space Jam: A New Legacy," coming in

2021. The campaign launch teams up Xbox with basketball champion and cultural

icon LeBron James, Bugs Bunny and the rest of the Looney Tunes Tune Squad to

amplify coding education and create an original Xbox arcade-style video game

inspired by the movie.

Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95zDv5uasoE

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1373579/Xbox_Arcade_Style_Video_Game_Contest.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/24227/microsoft_corp_logo226_9217jpg.jpg

As announced on his Instagram (https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3010068-1&h=1220036123&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fp%2FCIyL0BKgkST%2F&a=Instagram ), LeBron and Bugs Bunny are on the hunt for the best fan-submitted video game

ideas. Starting Dec. 14 through Dec. 30, fans aged 14 and up can visit the

official contest website [https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3010068-1&h=127014355&u=https%3A%2F%2Fdjeholdingsdrive.sharepoint.com%2FVolumes%2FSHARED%2FMovies%2520Active%2FSpace%2520Jam%2520-%2520A%2520New%2520Legacy%2FPartners%2FGlobal%2FMicrosoft%2520XBOX%2FCreative%2FPR%2FMS_PR_12012020%2FXbox%2520Contest%2520Assets%2520for%2520Review%2Fxbox.com%2Fspacejamanewlegacy&a=website ] to review official rules and submit their game ideas.

To enter, fans select the gaming genre of their choosing using a key image, and then

describe the game idea in less than 500 words.

Two winners will have their ideas brought to life in the official "Space Jam: A

New Legacy" arcade-style video game, available as a Perk for Xbox Game Pass

Ultimate members in 2021. Winners will also receive the following prizes: their

names featured in the game credits; an exclusive winner's bundle with signed

and authenticated LeBron James memorabilia, "Space Jam: A New Legacy"

merchandise and Nike VIP packs, and a personalized Xbox Series S console; a

private friends and family screening of the film; and a virtual Microsoft

coding workshop for their local community.

To help coders of all ages jump-start their creativity, Microsoft Stores are

hosting free, one-of-a-kind "Space Jam: A New Legacy"-themed virtual workshops

[https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3010068-1&h=2689740724&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.microsoft.com%2Fen-us%2Fstore%2Fworkshops-training-and-events%2Fspace-jam-a-new-legacy&a=hosting+free%2C+one-of-a-kind+%22Space+Jam%3A+A+New+Legacy%22-themed+virtual+workshops ]

on video game creation. Students will build a playable prototype of a video

game using block-based coding on the MakeCode Arcade platform, while learning

about the professional skills and STEAM careers involved in game design.

Additional resources and other free workshops that teach new skills and keep

kids entertained this holiday season can be found on the microsoft.com virtual

student workshop page [https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3010068-1&h=1434627843&u=https%3A%2F%2Fnam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com%2F%3Furl%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.microsoft.com%252Fen-us%252Fstore%252Fworkshops-training-and-events%252Fstudents%26data%3D04%257C01%257CCourtney.Lecuyer%2540assemblyinc.com%257Cdef92f65dd194258f79908d8957a6841%257Cb824bfb3918e43c2bb1cdcc1ba40a82b%257C0%257C0%257C637423700344022970%257CUnknown%257CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%253D%257C1000%26sdata%3Dj1X0NX64vuG4NdAuyBXhinXuPDtp1MxEJlroEv8hQDA%253D%26reserved%3D0&a=microsoft.com+virtual+student+workshop+page ].  

There are also two film-themed Microsoft Learn lessons [https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3010068-1&h=421189182&u=https%3A%2F%2Faka.ms%2FLearnWithDrG%2FSpaceJam&a=Microsoft+Learn%C2%A0lessons ], targeting more experienced coders, older teens, high school and

college-aged students, and adults, that focus on how to use player stats to make

real-time decisions in the middle of a game. The first lesson includes predicting

efficiency ratings with machine learning and Visual Studio Code, [https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3010068-1&h=1043386123&u=https%3A%2F%2Fcode.visualstudio.com%2Flearntocode&a=Visual+Studio+Code%2C ] using data from human and Tune Squad basketball players. The second lesson

includes building a web app that uses additional machine learning models in

real time to help a coach decide who needs a water break and who should be put

in the game to yield the highest likelihood of winning.

The video game contest, coding workshops and lessons align with Microsoft's

greater skilling initiative [https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3010068-1&h=129617691&u=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.microsoft.com%2Fskills%2F&a=skilling+initiative ],

which aims at helping 25 million people - including those from

underrepresented populations [https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3010068-1&h=301773887&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.microsoft.com%2Fen-us%2Fcorporate-responsibility%2Fskills-employability&a=including+those+from+underrepresented+populations ]

- acquire new digital skills and apply them to their passions.

ABOUT SPACE JAM: A NEW LEGACY

Welcome to the Jam! Basketball champion and cultural icon LeBron James goes on

an epic adventure alongside timeless Tune Bugs Bunny with the animated/live-action

event "Space Jam: A New Legacy," from director Malcolm D. Lee and an innovative

filmmaking team including Ryan Coogler and Maverick Carter. This transformational

journey is a manic mashup of two worlds that reveals just how far some parents will go

to connect with their kids. When LeBron and his young son Dom are trapped in a digital

space by a rogue A.I., LeBron must get them home safe by leading Bugs, Lola Bunny

and the whole gang of notoriously undisciplined Looney Tunes to victory over

the A.I.'s digitized champions on the court: a powered-up roster of basketball stars as

you've never seen them before. It's Tunes versus Goons in the highest-stakes challenge of

his life, that will redefine LeBron's bond with his son and shine a light on the power

of being yourself. The ready-for-action Tunes destroy convention, supercharge their

unique talents and surprise even "King" James by playing the game their own way.

ABOUT MICROSOFT

Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT" @microsoft) enables digital transformation for the era

of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower

every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

SOURCE  Microsoft Corporation

CONTACT: Assembly PR for Xbox, xboxpress@assemblyinc.com ; Warner Bros.

Pictures, Camille Smith,

Camille.smith@warnerbros.com / Note to editors: For more information, news and

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