Microsoft and Warner Bros. are kicking off an all-star brand partnership with Xbox and NBA superstar LeBron James.

The joint campaign is meant to celebrate gaming and coding education, as well as the anticipated release of James’ upcoming 2021 film, “Space Jam: A New Legacy.”

In addition to Xbox and James, the campaign launch recruits the film’s characters like Bugs Bunny and the rest of the Looney Tunes Tune Squad to amplify coding education in the gaming world and create an original Xbox arcade-style video game that draws inspiration from the movie, a news release shares.

The announcement also shares that Microsoft Stores are helping beginner coders jump-start their creativity by hosting free, one-of-a-kind “Space Jam: A New Legacy”-themed virtual workshops on video game creation.

Students will be able to build a playable-prototype of a video game utilizing block-based coding on the MakeCode Arcade platform, while also learning more about the skills and STEAM careers involved in game design.

Additionally, there are also two film-themed Microsoft Learn lessons, which target experienced coders, older teens, high school and college-aged students, and adults.

These lessons will focus on how to use player stats to make real-time decisions in the middle of a game, predicting efficiency ratings with machine learning and Visual Studio Code, as well as building a web app that uses additional machine learning models in real-time.

As announced on social media, James and Bugs Bunny are also searching for the best fan-submitted video game ideas. These ideas will then be brought to life in the official “Space Jam: A New Legacy” arcade-style video game.

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Now through Dec. 30, fans ages 14 and up can submit their game ideas by visiting the official contest website. To enter, fans must decide on the gaming genre of their choice using a key image and then describe the game idea in less than 500 words.

Winners of the contest will 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
  - A personalized Xbox Series S console and a private friends and family screening of the film
  - A virtual Microsoft coding workshop for their local community

The video game contest, coding workshops, and lessons are all designed to align with Microsoft’s greater skilling initiative — which aims to help 25 million people, including those from underrepresented populations, acquire new digital skills they can apply to their respective career paths.

For more information about this campaign, click here.

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