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Xbox Live Indie Games

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Xbox Live Indie Games (abbreviated as XBLIG, and previously called Xbox Live Community Games) are user created video games released on Microsoft's Xbox Live Marketplace for the Xbox 360. The games are developed using Microsoft XNA, and developed by one or more independent developers that are registered with App Hub. Unlike other Xbox Live Arcade titles, these are generally only tested within the local creator community, have much lower costs of production, and generally are less expensive to purchase than other Xbox Live Arcade titles. The service was released to widespread use alongside the New Xbox Experience, and as of February 2011, over 1,600 [1] games have been released on the service, many receiving media attention. Indie Games are not available in Australia, due to the requirement for all games to be rated by the Australian Classification Board, and the prohibitive expenses involved.

History

Initial tools for the development of games on the Xbox 360 platform were bundled in the XNA Game Studio Express 1.0, released in December 2006, as a means of introducing newer programmers to the steps in game programming.[2] Additional releases of the XNA Game Studio added further features with the core software libraries, but the created games were limited to the developer's own console unit and could not be shared with others. During the Game Developers Conference in February 2008, Microsoft announced that it would be bringing the Xbox Live Community Games service to Marketplace, allowing these games to be shared with others.[3] According to Microsoft's David Edery, portfolio planner for Xbox Live Arcade's, the company envisioned the Community Games as a way for programmers to bring niche experimental games to wider attention without justifying the cost of a full Arcade title with only a limited audience, while still potentially earning some money for the effort.[4] Edery also cited the Community Games as a potential differentiator from either the PlayStation Store and WiiWare services.[4]

A closed beta of Community Games was introduced on May 21, 2008, limited to Premium members of the XNA Creators' Club.[5] Community Games were introduced with the New Xbox Experience on November 19, 2008.[6] Upon the release of XNA 3.1, Microsoft changed the games to "Xbox Live Indie Games" with hopes that it will help increase the "understanding and discoverability" of user-created games.[7] After the fourth quarter Dashboard update in 2010, the Indie Games tab on the Marketplace was moved to the "Specialty Shops" section of the dashboard, away from where regular Xbox Live Arcade titles would be shown. Independent developers that published through the Indie Game service were concerned that this move reduced the visibility of the games, leading to lower sales and fewer incentives to develop for the series.[8] Microsoft stated that the move was to designed to benefit independent game developers, highlighting such games through the Specialty Shop tab.[9][10] However within a week, Microsoft quietly reverted this change, moving the Indie Games tab back to the main "Game Marketplace" section.[9]

Game development

Xbox Live Indie Games are developed under certain distribution restrictions:

  • The binary distribution package must be no larger than 150 MB.[11]
  • The games are priced at 80, 240, or 400 Microsoft Points (approximately $1, 3, and 5, respectively). Games larger than 50 MB must be priced at least 240 Microsoft Points.[12] Prior to the August 2009 update, the pricing structure was set at 200, 400, or 800 Microsoft Points.[11]
  • An eight minute trial period is enforced for Indie Games, after which, if the player has not yet purchased the game, the game will end and inform them they need to purchase the full version to keep playing. The developers have no control over this trial period.[11] This limit was initially four minutes but feedback from players and developers extended the trial period.[13]
  • XBLIG Games lack some of the features found in XBLA games. XBLIG games do not have achievements or leaderboards, nor are they listed on a player's "Gamer Card".[11] However, such games can be integrated with other parts of the Xbox Live Experience, including using multiplayer support, game invitations, and game information on friend lists.[14] XNA also include support for Party Chat and Xbox Live Avatars.[15]

Indie Games are created and added to the Xbox Live service by a four-step process:[2][14]

  • Create - Games are written in C# using the XNA Game Studio framework, allowing the developers to debug and test their game internally before release. The final code is compiled into a single binary package.
  • Submission - The developer uploads their binary to the App Hub website, during which they can specify metadata for the game such as the target region for release, the cost they wish to offer the game, media for the game that can be displayed in the Marketplace screens, and suggested content ratings for the game.
  • Playtest - Initially not part of the beta program for Indie Games, the playtest phase allows for developers to allow the game to be played by Premium members of the App Hub for a week, giving them feedback which they can use to revise their submissions prior to the peer review process.
  • Peer Review - Indie Games must undergo peer review before they are released to the service. These are performed by other developers on the Indie Games service, who review the game for unacceptable content, game instability, and other factors that would be detrimental for wide release on the service, though these reviewers do not attempt to qualify the quality of the game itself. Reviewers also provided suggested content ratings for the games, similar to the submission phase. Games require multiple trusted reviews before they are released. Rejected games can be resubmitted using feedback provided by the reviewers. When the program moved out of beta phase, which was limited to the United States, and into wide distribution, covering both North America and Western Europe, the peer review process was amended to include additional review for games that support multiple languages.
  • Release - Games that pass the Peer Review are released onto the service. Developers receive 70% of sales of the game, with Microsoft retaining the right to an additional 10-30% of the sales if they have decided to market the game further.[16][17][18] However, until they have worked out how to factor in the benefits of the marketing efforts, Microsoft has promised to maintain the 70/30 split for all games.[19]

With an Aug 11th 2009 update to the Xbox Live system, Xbox Live Indie Games will support user ratings, a feature that will also be applied to other content in the Xbox Live Marketplace.[15]

Most XBLIG games have been developed by students or hobbyist developers, who have invested a minimal amount of money, including the yearly fee for the App Hub membership, to develop their games.[20] However, at least one game has incurred much larger development costs: Biology Battle by Novaleaf, developed by Novaleaf Software, took eleven months to complete the game with development costs just under $100,000. The game was originally planned as a standard Xbox Live Arcade title, but was rejected by Microsoft about seven months into the project; Novaleaf decided to press forward and release the game as an Indie Game.[20] Another game, Techno Kitten Adventure, was developed by a smaller developer, XMONOX, who then partnered with design studio Elite Gudz to relaunch the game with gameplay improvements and ports to mobile devices.[21]

References

  1. ^ "Xbox LIVE Marketplace Indie Games". Retrieved 2009-10-23.
  2. ^ a b Hawkins, Dax (2008-02-22). "Sponsored Feature: Democratizing Game Distribution: The Next Step". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
  3. ^ Martin, Matt (2008-05-20). "Microsoft: User created games will help us leapfrog WiiWare and PSN". Games Industry. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
  4. ^ a b Martin, Matt (2008-05-20). "Xbox Live Arcade's David Edery". Games Industry. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
  5. ^ Martin, Matt (2008-05-21). "Microsoft kicks off Xbox Live Community Games beta". Games Industry. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
  6. ^ Nutt, Christian (2008-10-31). "Hands-On: Xbox Live Community Games Make Splash In San Fran". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
  7. ^ "XNA Game Studio 3.1 is here!". Microsoft. 2009-06-11. Retrieved 2009-06-11. [dead link]
  8. ^ Valjalo, David (2010-11-02). "Indie Game Devs Concerned By 360 Dashboard Changes". Edge. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
  9. ^ a b Alexander, Leigh (2010-11-09). "Microsoft Addresses Indie Concerns, XBL Indie Games Back In The Games Section". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
  10. ^ Dutton, Fred (2010-11-02). "Microsoft: new 360 dash helps indies". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
  11. ^ a b c d "XNA Creators Club Online FAQ". Microsoft. Retrieved 2009-06-08. [dead link]
  12. ^ "Welcome to Xbox LIVE Indie Games!". Microsoft. 2009-07-23. Retrieved 2009-07-27. [dead link]
  13. ^ "Trial Mode Increasing From Four Minutes to Eight Minutes". Microsoft. 2008-12-19. Retrieved 2009-06-08. [dead link]
  14. ^ a b Hawkins, Dax (2008-11-05). "Sponsored Feature: Xbox Live Indie Games". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
  15. ^ a b Alexander, Leigh (2009-06-11). "XNACG Renames To Xbox Live Indie Games, Adding User Ratings To XBLA, Add-Ons". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
  16. ^ Langley, Ryan (2009-03-30). "XBLA: GamerBytes Analysis: XNA Community Games Sales Data Revealed". Gamer Bytes. Retrieved 2009-06-09.
  17. ^ Klepek, Patrick (2008-07-22). "Microsoft Shows How To Make Money With 'Community Games'". MTV. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
  18. ^ Kee, Tameka (2009-03-30). "paidContent.org - The Harsh Economics For Indie Game Developers". Washington Post. Retrieved 2009-06-08. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  19. ^ "Download History Now Available!". Microsoft. 2009-03-28. Retrieved 2009-06-08. [dead link]
  20. ^ a b Carless, Simon (2008-12-28). "Interview: Novaleaf's Swearingen Talks Injecting Biology Battle Onto XNA Community Games". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
  21. ^ Upcoming 'Techno Kitten Adventure' – File Under W for "WTF?!". Jared Nelson. http://toucharcade.com/2011/05/24/upcoming-techno-kitten-adventure/
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