According to a recent article from Austrailian game site WA Today, Microsoft has begun dramatically reducing the number of independent games that it will publish on Xbox Live - that is to say, games developed by indie studios and not released by a major publisher like THQ or Ubisoft. The restriction seems to be so drastic, that according to several developers (who wished to remain anonymous):
...there are now just 35 "slots" a year for independent games on Xbox Live Arcade, but local developers estimate there would be hundreds of titles in development around the world, so many frustrated independent studios will be unable to release their games on the popular service.
Developers from indie studios have protested against this move, as no such restrictions have been placed upon publishers. According to the article, "One local studio chief is particularly frustrated that the 'rules' for independent developers wanting to release games on the service seem different to publishers, with independent games rejected for being too similar to an existing title on the service, yet major publishers were able to flood it with retro remakes."
Even more troubling, Microsoft's response to protests seems aimed at diverting independent offerings purely into the Community Games section - Andrew Jenkins, Senior Product Manager for Xbox Live in Austraila and New Zealand, said "Actually, I see Microsoft opening up more opportunities for independent developers and game visionaries to provide niche and mass appeal products through our community games program." Neglecting to mention that currently, the Community Games program has served to be somewhat of a cesspool for games - that any and everything gets thrown in, ranging from quality to dreck (and that the ratio of that is maybe 1 good game for every 10 wretched ones), and that - as I have written previously - there is currently no system in place to rate games or showcase quality titles. Weapon of Choice was developed by a dedicated indie designer, and received a very positive response from many review sites - however, due to lack of promotion within the site itself, the sales suffered greatly. Seriously, the top titles in Community Games right now involve farting (still apparently a top favorite) and controller massage. Yet somehow games like Braid apparently belong in that mess?
In response to the Kotaku article about the incident, Microsoft issued a press release praising indie titles - but at the same time, not addressing any of the concerns that have been brought about. The release proclaims "we've also drastically reduced the barriers for developers to distribute a game on Xbox 360 through Xbox LIVE Indie Games, and we've made development easier with XNA Game Studio" - which is a requirement for any games being release on Live's Community Games. It seems like the hints of the Austrailan Product Manager seem echoed here, that indies will be relegated to the Community Game space before long.
What makes me particularly furious about this - as a developer and as a gamer - is that Xbox Live
already has very exacting standards about the quality of their Live titles (if a game doesn't pass muster on their submission process twice, the third time will cost $100,000 - more than the entire development budget for many indie games!), and frankly, I don't think there are enough games currently on Live. Certain categories (such as RPGs, for example) only have a handful of entries, while others (such as those aforementioned publisher-driven retro remakes) have swelled other genres... but not insanely so. For a service that has been around since 2005, there really don't seem to be 4+ years of games on there - and unless hosting those titles is becoming prohibitively expensive for Microsoft (which I somehow doubt) or the influx of indie games is going to be somehow too much to process, it seems an arbitary and harmful decision to restrict these titles.
...which brings me to the real reason why I believe this decision is being made: the publishers. More and more indie developers are being created, bucking the trend of working for the blockbuster-sized titles of many publishers and opting to control their own development and keep their IPs. This is likely becoming more and more of a concern to major publishers, who seem - especially in ZeniMax's recent purchase of id Software and EA's combination of Bioware and Mythic, and Warner Bros. purchase of Midway's IPs and studios - to be doing everything they can to consolidate their power and lock down all the available resources (i.e. developers and IPs). Failing that, it's likely they're doing everything they can to put pressure on Microsoft to block independent developers from releasing games where they would see any worthwhile revenue, and instead relegate them to the basement of game development, exiling them to Community Games.
If there was any time for Microsoft to beat its chest and bellow like the 800-lb gorilla of the industry that it is and make other publishers back off and quit this ridiclousness, now would be the time. And I very much wish it would. But more importantly, I want to see more people mad about this. Really, truly, honestly pissed off. Some of the best games I've played have been indie titles - Castle Crashers, Rocket Riot, Braid - not to mention the title of Seattle favorite sons Penny Arcade, with Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness. Is it really worth it to sacrifice titles like that in favor of disappointments like Square-Enix's lackluster puzzler Yosumin or charging full price for long-in-the-tooth classics like Sega's Altered Beast? You know the answer to that.
So I ask you - please, please get mad about this. Write to Microsoft, whine about it on messageboards, support indie developers as much as possible. Games weren't meant to be the creation of a massive conglomerate - and if Steam is any example, when indies and publishers are given equal footing, good games will get the attention they deserve... no matter who makes them.
- R. Dobbs
Comments
AMEN. THAT IS COMPLETLY RIDICULUS. I HAVE BOUGHT ALL THOSE INDIE GAMES YOU MENTIONED. THEY ARE ALL BETTER THEN THE BIG COMPANY GAMES. WHY WOULD YOU LIMIT THE BEST GAMES ON THE MARKET. I LOVE MY 360 BUT THIS I A STUPID MOVE. GUESS ILL JUST STICK TO NON ARCADE GAMES.
You know, maybe we should send this to Google and encourage them to start a indie game dev spot. That'll make MS shake in their boots. If they alienate developers, all it takes is one smart company to listen to this neglected group to mash up the MS's plans.
As a developer I can tell you this article is right on the money. We ended up publishing our downloadable title on PSN instead due to lack of support for indies on XBLA. Microsoft is clearly pandering to the big publishers that simply want to dump their old existing IP back out and make more money off old games. Downloadable was supposed to bring back the days when a small developer could still make games without outside influence. After spending three years trying to realize that dream, we're having to move onto to different things. There are so few indie titles making money the risk is too great. The QA cost is a good example. It so out of whack with downloadable budgets I don't see how any responsible company could afford to take that risk. Unfortunately PSN is only marginally better, but with far lower sales potential. You simply can't win.
LB - Absolutely. I wouldn't avoid Live completely, but do my best to focus on indie titles. OR EVEN BETTER - mail MS and push for an alternative solution to this issue, or even just improving the Community Games section so it's not such a cesspit. Implementing a ratings system, categories, perhaps even a quality tier system... something so that it doesn't seem like the b*stard child of Live Arcade.
Amy - I'd love that absolutely much. MS really isn't that bad about listening to their customers, and a public outcry about this is what NEEDS to happen, in any and every outlet possible.
Guy - Man, I'm sorry to hear about it. I'd really like to hear more about the game - if you'd drop me a line at brutalizinme-at-gmail, I'll do my best to check it out and get the word out. Keep up the good work!
Oh dear god please tell me this is from last year and not this year. I just stumbled upon this article(while I'm in the process of producing an indie game for XBLA), and am hoping that it was from July 16th of last year, and not 2009...
Please, please tell me they changed this...
Venomous - I wish I could tell you so, but nope, it's recent. The good news in that is that possibly there's still time to raise the appropriate hue and cry about this and get it stopped.
"...which brings me to the real reason why I believe this decision is being made: the publishers."
Listen, I'm very much on the side of indies in this matter, but do you have any proof at all that major publishers are behind this? It seems irresponsible to throw the suggestion out with no facts to support it. There are plenty of other reasons MS would make a dumb decision like this without a vast conspiracy. Please dig deeper for the facts.
chmmr - I do very much want the facts on this one, but even Kotaku's questioning on the matter has yielded little response. Yes, it's largely my belief, and it's collected from the behavior I've observed from publishers as well as feedback I've gotten from devs. It could be that MS simply doesn't have the resources to review the number of titles that come in to Live Arcade - if that were the case, one would likely see more job postings for people on the approvals side of XBLA (to help push new titles through), OR a general set of restrictions placed on ALL games, not specifically indies. I'll admit my reasoning isn't bulletproof, but I have based it on a lot of evidence of past and recent publisher behavior, and done my best to make it stronger than pure conjecture. Whatever the cause, it's disappointing behavior from MS, and I'm hoping it is a decision that is soon overturned.
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