Edge

Microsoft should merge Xbox Live Indie Games with Xbox Live Arcade, reducing the barrier to entry for independent developers and helping them reach bigger audiences, one indie has said.

Speaking to us about developing for XBLIG as part of our ongoing How To Make A Game feature, Robert Boyd of Cthulhu Saves The World and Penny Arcade's On The Rain-Slick Precipice Of Darkness 3 developer Zeboyd Games said that Microsoft should look to Steam for proof that indie games can sell incredibly well if given the chance.

"I'd like to see [XBLIG] kind of merge into XBLA," Boyd tells us. "Keep Indie Games free to everyone but if you have a really good game, you could submit it to Microsoft for it to be upgraded to an XBLA title.

"Right now, becoming an XBLA developer is fairly difficult for a small team, so reducing the barrier of entry to XBLA could only help Microsoft, I think."

In its early days Live Arcade was home to small games, many of which were made by independent studios. Since the initial 50MB filesize limit was removed, however, it has increasingly played host to larger games from established companies - due in no small part to it being notoriously hard to self-publish games on the service.

By contrast, XBLIG exists solely for small teams to release games on. But with such a low barrier to entry, it's a busy service - so busy that discoverability is a serious concern. Boyd goes on to explain that even Dream Build Play, Microsoft's indie development contest, is no longer a guaranteed route to XBLA.

"Early on, several winnders and nominees got on, but after Dust won, I can't think of anything else," Boyd tells us. "Most of the winners ended up just being released on XBLIG.

"Far more indie games are released on Steam than XBLA, and yet Steam is tremendously successful. I think opening up XBLA a bit - but not completely - would only help."

http://www.edge-online.com/news/dev-calls-microsoft-merge-xbox-live-arcade-and-indie-games

Boo fucking hoo. All indie devs seem to do is whinge about XBLIG. If you're not happy with it then go elsewhere.

"yet Steam is tremendously successful."

I laughed at how many developers want to go to xboxlive oppose to stream. Quote after Quote has exposed this.

no. the distinction is there for a reason.

It's fine the way it is.

hmm i mean, there are maybe few indie games in the indie game section worth to be mentioned in the arcade sector but most of them are just way behind them and they truly don't deserve to be part in the arcade sector to take away attention of those games. otherwise arcade games should get the same attention as retail games because hey...it would be possible!

€dit: ok they said "open up arcade a bit" which few indie games maybe deserve, i could live with that but please only for maybe 10-20 games^^

btw, i just saw there are 2.528 indie games on the german xbox market place, i don't really believe, if you also count the ~500 arcade games, that steam has  more in that category with all the games put together. so maybe an indie game on steam is more succesful because there aren't as much? or because everyone with a pc can use steam and all the games?

i think that's the argument.... good indi get lost in a pile of crap really fast.... i should know ar some point i was downloading every single one of them to try them... but there are so many you get easily overwhelmed... i think what they mean is that the cream if indi game gets its chance to make a name in arcade... that way it woyld reward the team by making the game more visible and probably earn more cash too, therefore motivating the core of indi dev to make good stuff...

i kind of agree there... while i see why there is a difference made... there are a few dozen of them that could greatly beneficiate of a little more love from MS and the XB community... and opening the gate to arcade could be an easy way to do it.... maybe with a quaterly peer review correlated with MS and the gamer community reviews give access to a fistful

He's talking about XBLA specifically there not XBLIG, he's saying there should be more indie games on XBLA.

Well the new dash update makes things a lot easier to find indie games, along with xbla and games on demand. Hopefully indie devs will do a little less bitching when the update releases to the general public.