Friday 24 July 2009

XBLIG price changes

Microsoft have shifted down the three price points developers can choose for their indie games (from 800, 400 and 200 to 400, 240 and 80). I'm in two minds about this.

Cons: With 800 points (about $10) no longer offered, more professional outfits are likely to be turned away if the most they can charge is about $5. The race-to-the-bottom pricing is likely to make XBLIG much more like Apple's App Store. It is already quite cluttered with largely pointless apps and massage games (the dashboard update to introduce users ratings should mitigate this somewhat). In my opinion, the areas in which Indie Games differs to the App Store are its strengths, so it is unfortunate to see them being eroded further.

Pros: I had no plans to monetize my DBP09 entry, given that it will provide little more than 15-20 minutes of play. But with a price point of 75p, why not? I'll reassess this closer to completion. It also opens the door for various small AGS games, for which a 75p cost is justifiable.