As I'm sure you all know the Xbox 360 launched a short time ago with a some big name titles and a generally decent line-up of games for every type of gamer. One big step up from the previous Xbox was the new Xbox Live Arcade. XBL Arcade is a service that comes along with an Xbox Live account where users can purchase and download games that are 50mb or less to play on the console. They include the usual suspects such as the casual puzzle game Bejeweled, classic arcade hits like Joust and Smash T.V., and even some new hits such as Geometry Wars Retro Evolved.

One game I was surprised to find among the downloadable games was Wik: Fable of Souls. This weird but fun game was released last year for PC to great acclaim and, I'm assuming if it's made it to Arcade, some monetary success. What makes it special is that it was developed as an independent game (read the entry below for more about indie games).

This opens up a new opportunity for developers that can't afford the absurdity of today's console market. Rather than going through the tight deadlines and loss of control that occurs when dealing with a big publisher, a developer can create a direct relationship with the the console companies to eliminate middle men and reap more rewards. Granted it can't exactly be cheap (usual submission of a game to Microsoft/Sony/Nintendo can be about $20,000 for three attempts to pass their QA process), but if the console manufacturer doesn't have to deal with retail issues then I don't see why the costs for games on XBL Arcade should be the same as retail.

So all of you independent developers out there, warm up your keyboards, writing pads, and pencils. You have a chance to get your games out there along with the big boys, and if they're good you better I believe I'll lay down a cool $5-$15 for them.

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honestgamer - December 08, 2005 (12:36 AM) Microsoft is really doing a lot to make sure that independently-developed games make their way to the system, via the Live Arcade. They're full-featured, too. I went to an independent game developer's conference run by Garage Games and got to talk to a few people involved in this, both from Garage Games and Microsoft. You can read the article I wrote in the most recent issue of Hardcore Gamer Magazine, which is available for free download (there's a news story on it posted on HG's front page right now). Sounds like you're someone who should definitely read it.