Game binary upload

After you've filled in the game information, you are ready to upload your game binary (.ccgame) to the Creators Club Web site. Click on the upload new game binary link to submit the package.

You'll notice that you can select the languages your game supports. It is important that you fill in this language information so that peer reviewers can accurately assess your game content.

Important: The language into which you localize your game does not need to match the country into which you distribute your game. For example, if your game only supports English, you may still distribute that game into the six countries Xbox LIVE Community Games supports in version 1.

However, the peer reviewer must understand at least one of the languages exposed in the game to accurately review your submission.

The comments text box is for you to enter any information you want to track for yourself. This might be the version of your binary or another note to yourself. These comments are viewable only by you.

Validation

As in the beta, we have a validation service that ensures you upload a valid XNA Game Studio 3.0 game, and that all your files are in order. If the validation service finds an issue with your game, we will place comments in the Game Binary section on the details game page.

These comments give you further information regarding the validation failure. In the example below, the validation service flagged my binary as invalid because it was built with XNA Game Studio v2.0.

If a game fails validation, it cannot be made available to other creators for Playtest or Review. You can upload new game binary once you solve the issue, and then resubmit it.

Price, countries, and comments

After you have uploaded your binary, you can fill in your suggested sell price (in points) of your game, the countries into which you want to distribute your game, and any comments you want your fellow creators to see.

You may choose a price point of 200, 400, or 800 points. These correspond to a USD price of $2.50, $5.00, and $10.00, respectively. Note that after your game is placed on Xbox LIVE Marketplace, you cannot change the price point or reduce the countries in which your game is deployed.

You may, however, choose to expand the list of countries into which you want your game to be distributed (subject to another peer review). Price point changes may be allowed in a subsequent update of Xbox LIVE Community Games.

Also note the forums comments section. When you submit a game for Playtest or for a release, a new post containing this text appears in the forums. If it is the first time you submit a game, the system creates an entirely new thread.

We have two new forums: peer review feedback and Playtest feedback. Both are under Community Games Distribution. Each game has a dedicated thread in each of these forums. This enables you to get feedback on your game.

Playtest and Release

Playtest is a new, optional phase that we added to our submission workflow. Use Playtest to let other creators download and play your game, and give you feedback before you submit the game for review.

Playtest is the time to get feedback on multiplayer capability, playability, support for peripherals, or even support for various HDTV modes. As a creator, you can cancel a Playtest for your game at any time.

When you are ready to "ship" or release your game, select the Release option. This moves your game into peer review. If it is approved by the community, it is published on Xbox LIVE Marketplace.

Note that you can only have one game submission in Playtest or release at a time per project. Once you do click Release -- congratulations! You successfully submitted your game for peer review.