Official update/statement/apology from Microsoft added to the OP

Ohh it was problem with their own system. That's ok then. Wonder why it took so long to reply... more importantly, are they only saying that cause more people,are learning about this story?

So after aknowledging the problem and being 64 days due they will still take another 14 days to pay and haven't commented on thinking 45 days of tardiness is no issue even though they pay once a quarter?

This is why more indies come to sony. Sony actually respects their devs.

Maybe there's a perfectly valid explanation on Microsoft's side of this, but, I just don't understand how an internal error could cause developers to go unpaid 2 months+ beyond the due date, especially when one of the folks said they were told the payments would be a couple days past due.  Doesn't sound right, but...I also don't work for Microsoft so I've no idea how that system works.

Bottom line though, I'm glad they're working to rectify it and that these devs will get what they're owed.

And MS only gave a response after this story was reported by diferent sites. Seems suspicious. 

Some trades people friends of mine (builders, carpet layers etc) say the rich folks are always the slowest payers, and the ones who niggle most over the bill.

Similarly my artist friend, who sells his painting for $50K or more through a New York Art dealer, said it's the richest buyers who are the meanest price hagglers and the slowest to pay. You get a millionnnaire buying a painting they will normally pay the asking price and in reasonable time. But a billionnaire will demand a price discount, because they are who they are and everyone must dance to their tune. Meanwhile once you take the dealer's commission off and the other costs of producing the work and the time it takes, even though 1 painting for 50K sounds a lot his effecitve hourly rate isn't much more than minimum wage. So a billionnaire haggling to knock $5K of the price of a painting really hurts the bank balance, even though for him (usually a him) it's chump change.

I totally agree - Infact that retro city rampage guy is waiting for his  money from nintendo for the wii version, which they refuse to pay until it hits a threshold, even though i never intend to play the wii version, i bought it to try and help him

The response from MS sounds like something I tell end users when I know I messed up but don't want them to know it was my fault. Not saying that's the case here though this could very well be true.

I have two conflicting opinions about this. 

1. If the Indies are exclusive, they should get paid as they are creating interest in microsfts console (therefore demand). 

2. However if they are not exclusive they shouldn't get paid, my reasoning behind this is that if they want to get taken seriously in media's biggest industry. They shouldn't have to have their hand held by giants like Microsoft and Sony as this isn't how capitiliasm works. They should be considered the same way third parties are, if your not good enough to keep yourself alive then you're a danger to everyone else in the industry (you become a parasite). 

Saying otherwise to option 2 is Commy talk, not that i completely disagree with Communists, but it's either a Communist (like) or Capitilist industry, it can't be both.