XBLA games to be discontinued
Do not fear fellow gamers, by the headline I am not referring to the best and brightest of the XBLA catalog, only those which Microsoft deem have run there course. By what merits would they be able to identify the good from the bad though? Reported earlier this week on NextGen in an interview with Marc Whitten, the general manager of Xbox Live, he announced that titles likely to be delisted will:
- Have been on XBLA for more than 6 months
- Have a Meta-Critic score of less than 65%
- Have a conversion rate of less than 6%
On first look this seems quite fair, and will cut down on the glut of poorly made games and ports on the system, ensuring a certain standard of quality across the catalog. But look at it from this point of view: Games are a subjective media, as are books, music and art, and everyone has their own tastes as to what makes a good game. Of course many opinions are similar, and it’s easy to base the quality of a game on such standards as graphics, story, length of campaign, multiplayer features, downloadable content etc. At the end of the day, though, what is fun to one person may not ring true for another, and to deny someone with a minority opinion access to games they may very well enjoy, and also be willing to pay for seems quite ridiculous, especially when we are referring to games stored on an Xbox Live server, without cost of packaging and transit involved.
What is really confusing though, which has only come to light today, is the fact that if you had previously bought a delisted game, it will still be linked with your Gamertag and available to download again, if, for example, you transfer your account to a new Xbox 360. This in itself is great, and shows Microsoft respecting its customers, but the main point it brings to light is, THE DELISTED GAMES WILL STILL BE STORED ON XBOX LIVE SERVERS! By “delisted” it seems Microsoft means “games which will be unavailable to the point buying public.” And here I was thinking that Microsoft liked money!?
Surely it makes much more sense to merely move the “underperforming” games to a separate section of XBLA, and most obvious of all, offer reductions on underselling games. Many such games in the firing line to be delisted are grossly overpriced for what they offer. Asking 800 points ($10) for some of these titles is just too much for some, but crank that down to 400 points ($5) and I’m sure you’ll see the downloads rolling in again.
Another saddening part of this is the pressure this now puts on independent developers with their less than mainstream game concepts. Before this announcement, XBLA could be looked on as a place soon to be filled with unique gaming gems with a viable chance of being able to pay off their production costs whilst still remaining the property of the developer. Now though, developers more than ever will have to put the commercial aspect of their games at the top of their priorities, possibly stifling the original quirky idea on which the game may be based.
All of us have games from our childhood, or even more recent times that we can cherish and enjoy for what they are, despite their flaws and/or critical panning. To just brush them aside is a disservice Microsoft is forcing on its customers, and also a financially illogical move. I can’t help but feel sorry for the developers who know their love/hate game may soon be on the chopping block. Microsoft said they will give three months notice of games to be delisted, giving players a last chance to purchase them.
Via Joystiq
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