It is very easy to pick on Microsoft. That being said, well, the Xbox Live Arcade looks like a terrific idea, at least on paper. It will allow indie developers to sell their games through the console. Of course, games will have to be approved by MS, so chances are that you won't be able to play an indie game denouncing the US Army's use of white phosphorus as a chemical weapon. Ok, ok, fair enough, that was an inside joke. Isn't it great that MS is doing things right? I was very surprised when the first Xbox launched, I was used to crappy first generation MS products and this was a change. Well, I do hope that the Xbox Live Arcade also turns out to be one of those surprises. Sure, you can argue that MS ultimate goal is world domination and they do not give a crap about indie development. That is probably right. On the other hand, individuals working on the Xbox probably do care very much about indie development. Still, MS is a corporation and, as such, only cares about profit -yes, fat corporations as entities only care about that, no matter how nice their employees are. Even if we like it or not, indie devs will always be needing distributors - even if they are selling their games online themselves. You always need to reach your audience. Even though portals are not the only way to do this, they are currently probably the best way to reach a critical mass. Things may change eventually, but I do not thing that fast enough. Meanwhile, indie devs will have to sell their games though stores such as the Xbox Live Arcade. That is very good news. In spite of MS being evil and all that. They may be evil but they brought us Age of Empires. So there is a special place in my heart for them. Call it sympathy for the devil. If the Xbox Live Arcade delivers, well, I may not go as far as becoming a worshiper, but I promise not to get too mad when my PC behaves erraticaly. Ok, just for a few weeks. Still, you have my word. C'mon guys, if Apple started turning to the dark side, isn't there a hope for MS?
rIf you want to learn more about the Xbox Live Arcade, you can read the extensive interview at BusinessWeek. They also have a scary report saying that only 80 games a year will be successful. By policy I never trust reports too much but even if the figure is wrong, it is a token of the state of the industry. Of course, the trick is on how you define success. If by it you understand big corporations cashing in a lot of money, then the figure is probably right. I guess my definition would be closer to developers making a decent living and players being thrilled by the games. But that is just me.
rIf you want to learn more about the Xbox Live Arcade, you can read the extensive interview at BusinessWeek. They also have a scary report saying that only 80 games a year will be successful. By policy I never trust reports too much but even if the figure is wrong, it is a token of the state of the industry. Of course, the trick is on how you define success. If by it you understand big corporations cashing in a lot of money, then the figure is probably right. I guess my definition would be closer to developers making a decent living and players being thrilled by the games. But that is just me.
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