Newsbrief: To usher in the New Year, Microsoft has announced some new changes to the Xbox Live Indie Games App Hub, giving developers a bit more flexibility with the games they can release on the platform.
For its first change, Microsoft raised the size limit for Xbox Live Indie Game submissions from 150MB to 500MB, allowing developers more breathing room when developing complex titles.
The second change grants developers more control over their pricing strategy, allowing them to charge just 80 Microsoft Points ($1) for any game under 150MB. Previously, the 80 MSP price tag was reserved for games that fell below just 50MB.
In addition, Microsoft will now allow developers to release up to 20 individual titles on the Xbox Live Indie Games channel. Previously, game creators were limited to just eight titles, though that limit was raised to 10 when the XNA Creators Club became the App Hub in 2010.
That sounds promising - we just have to hope it's not too late.
Also, is Microsoft going to allow developers to merge their "split" accounts? I suspect the answer will be a resounding "NO", but there's a few developers who have two or three XNA accounts because they've hit the 8/10 game limit...
Too bad I'm from Brazil, so I can't publish anything on XBOX, the biggest country in South America isn't listed in the "countries who can submit games" in their FAQ... =P
Microsoft is even making consoles here in Brazil, so why can't they accept our games?!
Sony for example sold PS2 Linux to all countries EXCEPT Brazil and Russia.
But that is stupid from MS part, considering Brazil DO have "Dream Build Play" winners (with published games on XBLA) and Sony is borrowing PS2 and PSP SDKs for free to Brazillians learn Sony platform... So unless MS move, they willl end with all Brazillian indies on Sony instead.
Great that they have a few minor updates, but the new dash on xbox is killing indie games and more importantly Live Arcade titles. I know studios that have made live arcade games in the past that are now shifting focus elsewhere because discoverability and marketing on the new xbox dash is terrible.
Also, is Microsoft going to allow developers to merge their "split" accounts? I suspect the answer will be a resounding "NO", but there's a few developers who have two or three XNA accounts because they've hit the 8/10 game limit...
Too bad I'm from Brazil, so I can't publish anything on XBOX, the biggest country in South America isn't listed in the "countries who can submit games" in their FAQ... =P
Microsoft is even making consoles here in Brazil, so why can't they accept our games?!
Sony for example sold PS2 Linux to all countries EXCEPT Brazil and Russia.
But that is stupid from MS part, considering Brazil DO have "Dream Build Play" winners (with published games on XBLA) and Sony is borrowing PS2 and PSP SDKs for free to Brazillians learn Sony platform... So unless MS move, they willl end with all Brazillian indies on Sony instead.