Spectral Jester Posted June 27, 2013 Report Share Posted June 27, 2013 Microsoft has ditched its policy of charging developers to issue title updates Xbox 360 and XBLA games, according to sources cited by Eurogamer and OXM. Microsoft has previously required developers to pay in order to issue updates and patches for games on the current-gen console, a figure rumoured to be around $40,000 a hit. This led to unfortunate situations where developers either couldn’t afford or couldn’t justify fixing their game, leaving gamers in the lurch. The most high profile example of this relates to Fez, which had a number of problems that creator Phil Fish chose not to rectify due to the prohibitive cost. The issue didn’t just affect indies, however. Even big publishers were reluctant to pay patch fees to fix their games, if the size of the install base didn’t justify the cost. Under the new rules, all title updates are free, allowing fixes, as well as things like character updates and new modes, to be issued without charge. In addition to this Microsoft has also dropped the price for update resubmissions, meaning that if an update is submitted to Microsoft but fails to pass certification, the developer can sort it out and send it again without further cost. The only caveat to all of this is that Microsoft may charge for “excessive” resubmissions. Put simply, the move is good for gamers because developers will now be able to issue new modes and balances while ensuring that their games are more stable, without having to worry about the costs. Everyone’s a winner. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeckoningZebra1 Posted June 27, 2013 Report Share Posted June 27, 2013 Wow, I think the old policy was a bit crazy in the first place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fzdw11 Posted June 27, 2013 Report Share Posted June 27, 2013 Wow, I think the old policy was a bit crazy in the first place. Agreed, and just think about this for a moment. Minecraft 360 Edition has had 11 updates already. If each update cost them $40,000, they're looking at $440,000 in costs after their initial release. And they are/were still planning more. Yes, they made a decent amount upfront, but after a certain point, it is going to be cost prohibitive to continue those updates. With this new policy in place, it doesn't matter anymore. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaconShelf Posted June 27, 2013 Report Share Posted June 27, 2013 I know many games that would have been better with updates if an Indie developer could have released a TU, so much potntial wasted! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Is not JL Posted June 27, 2013 Report Share Posted June 27, 2013 I wonder what games will all of a sudden get a boost.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caboose The Ace Posted June 27, 2013 Report Share Posted June 27, 2013 well this is great for devs as the smaller devs like undead labs who created state of decay will save more money and be able to make them come out faster etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Stig Posted June 27, 2013 Report Share Posted June 27, 2013 At least now I know why more games didn't receive more frequent updates... I woundered why games like Halo 2 Vista, Halo 3, Halo Wars and Halo Reach and even GTA IV did not get newer Title Updates. This explains it. Thank you Spectral Jester Now lets just hope that developers make use of this new policy and take advantage of it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiQuid BioniX Posted June 28, 2013 Report Share Posted June 28, 2013 This next generation of consoles is looking more like a win-win for developers, especially for indie devs. I'm really excited to see what new indie games come up, and I hope we'll see the rise of the mid-tier, $40 game rather than just $15 or $60. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flippant Sol Posted June 28, 2013 Report Share Posted June 28, 2013 Everyone's a winner. Not glitch hunters. Now every game will be patched to every last detail, and glitches will be non existent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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