Q: Do I need an XNA Creators Club subscription to make games now?
A: No, but if you want to make the game available on the Xbox LIVE Community Games area, or peer review submitted games, you must be a subscriber.
Q: I don’t see the XNA Creators Club subscription service offered on Xbox Marketplace, why?
A: If you don’t see the XNA Creators Club subscription service, it’s probably because you live in a country that doesn’t currently offer that service, even if you have access to Xbox LIVE. The XNA Creators Club subscription service is being rolled out to various countries on different timetables.
Q: Why does my game have to be peer-reviewed? Why can’t I just post it?
A: Peer reviewers are there to help creators write better games, and also to protect game players from experiencing highly offensive or malfunctioning games. Peer reviewers will reject your game if:
- You have prohibited content in the game, not allowed on Xbox Live services
- You misrepresent what’s in the game play or in the promotional materials for the game
- The promotional content for your game ( banner, title) is not appropriate for all ages on Xbox Live marketplace
- The game crashes, has too many bugs or is otherwise technically defective
Q: What happens if somebody sneaks something through in a game?
A: Microsoft reserves the right to reactively take down a game without prior notification, and enables anybody to report objectionable content in a game. In addition, creators that willfully submit games with misleading content indicators can have a series of punitive actions taken, including loss of subscriptions and removal from the site. Microsoft will also comply with all legal requests where required by law.
Q: How complex does the game have to be?
A: There are no complexity requirements before the game is submitted, but games can be rated by the community for playability, “fun factor”, etc.
Q: So I can make clones of games already on Xbox LIVE Arcade or somewhere else?
A: Not any more than you can make copies of Halo 3. When you submit a game you agree that you own all the rights to the materials in your game. If you don’t, then don’t submit the game.
Q: Does this mean Xbox LIVE Arcade is going away?
A: No. The design and goal for the Xbox LIVE Community Games is to provide a distribution channel for enthusiasts to share homebrew creations freely with their peers and friends. Some games may “graduate” to a full Arcade contract as the Dream Build Play game winners have done, but the idea is to offer a different venue for game creativity.
Q: Can I sell my game on Xbox LIVE Community Games? What is the revenue split?
A: We are still finalizing the business models and revenue sharing details of Xbox LIVE Community Games at this time. More information will be available closer to the retail consumer launch this holiday.
Q: Who owns the IP rights to the game I create? Can I distribute my game on non-Microsoft services?
A: You own the IP rights to your game. However, we may provide incentives for exclusive distribution on Microsoft services.
Q: How do I set the ESRB rating for my community game?
A: A: Xbox LIVE Community Games are not rated by the ESRB; however, they are reviewed by XNA Creators Club members and will have a game classification before appearing on Xbox LIVE Marketplace.
Q: Will parental controls affect access to my community game?
A: Yes. All community games are considered unrated which is the highest level of restriction on the Xbox 360 console. For consoles with parental controls activated, community games will be inaccessible.
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