News
Microsoft pulling games from XBLA
Michael French May 23 2008, 9:58am
Comments (5)
Revamp of online service will include ‘delisting’ of less popular titles
Microsoft has rebooted its Xbox Live Arcade strategy, with a number of changes on the way intended to improve the service – although it's not yet clear how welcome to the moves third-party developers will be.
On a Q&A with Next-Gen.biz, Microsoft's Marc Whitten has revealed that as well as increasing the file size limit to 350MB and introducing a new, higher 1600 Microsoft Point price-tier, it is "delisting older underperforming titles in order to keep the service focused on a section of high quality games".
The firm is also "going to be putting our money where our mouth is here and are launching a new fully funded first party studio which will be focused on high quality digital content creation".
Whitten described the moves as "a series of new policies along with a new internal approach and investment in the Xbox Live Arcade business going forward".
Comments
“Not just underperforming titles”
Posted by: Rob - May 23, 10:51am
XBLA games with a metacritic score under 65% AND that sell poorly will be removed he says, so if a game is a good even if it does sell badly it will be left on, its games like x-rally thats complete garbage that will be removed as its an awful game that I can see no one ever wanting to buy so good riddance.
“LIVE has too much rubbish content”
Posted by: Peter Moore fan club - May 23, 11:07am
Xbox Live can definitely boast of having the most content, easily beating Sony's PSN. The problem with LIVE is that there are loads of really, really terrible games. Conversions of minor games from the 80s, rubbish games from the 90s, and new versions of Space Camels that the gaming press love and real people hate. (EDGE mag rated it a 9- something to do with Jeff Minter writing for the mag?!)
There is no point Microsoft boasting about having more content if no one wants to play it. There is a lot that the PSN can be criticised for, but at least it has influenced change on Xbox live for the better. Lets hope Microsoft also take a leaf out of the PSN book on presentation. Live is currently designed to appear to american geek boys interested in sci-fi, not the mass market.
“Re: LIVE has too much rubbish content”
Posted by: LeeC - May 23, 11:43am
"Lets hope Microsoft also take a leaf out of the PSN book on presentation"
Oh god no, they don't need to take that much of a step backwards.
Live works, the system blades work, the marketplace works... and more importantly, it works well.
“Re: LIVE has too much rubbish content”
Posted by: Guru Larry - Retro Game sPresenter (Xleague.TV) - May 23, 10:18pm
As much as I want to like XBLA, it has the least interesting content of the three formats.
Xbox Originals are far too expensive (compared to the fact you can pick up nearly all of the on eBay for less than a fiver) even more so when compares to PSN's £3.50 a game PS1 title.
I do appreaciate they have more British titles than the other three formats who insist on shoving American childhood memories down our throats and not our own. (even if they're from the big book of cliched british retro titles, whens Jet Set Willy going up? ^_^) stick CHAOS on there FFS.
They do need to concentrate on their own Virtual Console service, Lets have us a few speccy and Amstrad games on there, even the odd Dreamcast title.
Also sort out a few licensed games like NBA JAM and Daytona USA, I mean wouldn't they just kick ass on XBLA?
Even Counter-Strike would be awesome.
Also some third party PS1 conversions, I thought it was going to be a trend with Symphony of the Night, but it appeared not to be.
“Re: LIVE has too much rubbish content”
Posted by: ka0znrky - May 26, 9:19am
I'm all for the bigger size limit so that developers can put a bit more into their games but that doesn't necessarily mean we should be paying more for them ... Bejewelled HD or some other crappy idea like that won't be worth 1600 ms points but it'll be there at some point which always makes the marketplace feel dirty to me, like a back alley brothel (i mean, erm, a friend TOLD me thats what it was like lol)