Microsoft is giving game makers some extra love in 2012 with the introduction of App Hub (formerly the Creators Club) policy changes that will make its Xbox Live Indie Games service more open and flexible for independent developers.
Announced on the XNA Game Studio Team Blog, Microsoft is increasing the size limit of acceptable CCGAME bundles from 150MB to 500MB, while also allowing developers to charge 80 Microsoft Points to any game under 150MB, as opposed to the 80 MSP minimum currently imposed on games 50MB and under. On top of this, developers will also see the current eight-game publishing limit doubled to twenty titles per person.
For the most part, developers on the XNA Game Studio forums are responding well to the incoming changes. That said, some argue the pricing changes will toy with consumer expectations, and the increased game limit might invite more spam developers. There's also concern Microsoft's new dashboard still isn't giving the Xbox Live Indie Games its due, and requests for important additions like leaderboard and achievement support are going ignored.
Although Microsoft's announcement doesn't address these concerns specifically, the team did note it is continually looking for ways to improve the indie service, writing, “We’re continuing to watch our developer base and adapt the system to the needs of our creators. We hope you’re all as excited as we are to kick off 2012 with these great updates to the App Hub to enable our developers to make even better content for Xbox LIVE Indie Games.”
