3 ms·

If you can compete with the million dollar budgets of video game companies I don't think anybody can stop you from developing for Xbox.

by volida 17y ago

potatolicious 17y ago
Actually, the Xbox development model is more similar to iPhone than MS would like to admit: - Cost per-seat to even get your hands on the SDK, check. $99/year for Apple, rumors put the 360 Dev Kit at $10K+ per seat, which is in line with historical numbers for Playstation also. - Strict review and approval process, often taking a very long time. Developers have long complained that much-needed patches have been submitted to MS, but are stuck in approval/QA limbo. - Strict control over distribution channel, onerous rules on what can or cannot be included. - "App Store" model where MS handles all transactions between customer and developer.
gcheong 17y ago
I don't think you even need that with the XBox Live Indie Games project.
jsz0 17y ago
Microsoft certainly can. You have to accept their license agreement and possibly an NDA to develop on the Xbox platform. I don't think the exact terms are public knowledge. We can look at the XNA license/participation terms for some hints though: "Microsoft reserves the right to take down a game retroactively without notice. Microsoft encourages peer reviewers to report objectionable content in a game." "Peer reviewers will reject your game if: -Your game contains prohibited content, which is content not allowed on Xbox LIVE services -You misrepresent what is in the game play or in the promotional materials for the game. All games must have a trial mode that showcases the actual game experience. If you fail to do so, or use this method to provide your game for free, your game will be failed in the Peer Review process. Games are NOT available for free currently on the system. This system is NOT a video hosting service and should not be used as such. -The promotional content for your game ( for example, the box art, description, banner or title) is not appropriate for all ages on Xbox LIVE Marketplace -The game crashes, it has too many bugs, or it is technically defective in some way"
- umjames 17y ago
  If I understand this correctly, you can't make free games for Xbox? At least you can make free apps for the App Store.
  - potatolicious 17y ago
    Worse, you can't make free updates for Xbox games. MS demands that all additional content cost money - this has been a point of contention between Valve and MS recently, as they are in the habit of releasing frequent, small content packs their games, and the pricing structure prevents this.
    - Gmo 17y ago
      I'd like a source for that claim, because there are some free DLCs for XBOX 360 ...

If you can compete with the million dollar budgets of video game companies I don't think anybody can stop you from developing for Xbox.

by volida 17y ago

If you can compete with the million dollar budgets of video game companies I don't think anybody can stop you from developing for Xbox.

potatolicious 17y ago

Actually, the Xbox development model is more similar to iPhone than MS would like to admit: - Cost per-seat to even get your hands on the SDK, check. $99/year for Apple, rumors put the 360 Dev Kit at $10K+ per seat, which is in line with historical numbers for Playstation also. - Strict review and approval process, often taking a very long time. Developers have long complained that much-needed patches have been submitted to MS, but are stuck in approval/QA limbo. - Strict control over distribution channel, onerous rules on what can or cannot be included. - "App Store" model where MS handles all transactions between customer and developer.

gcheong 17y ago

I don't think you even need that with the XBox Live Indie Games project.

jsz0 17y ago

Microsoft certainly can. You have to accept their license agreement and possibly an NDA to develop on the Xbox platform. I don't think the exact terms are public knowledge. We can look at the XNA license/participation terms for some hints though: "Microsoft reserves the right to take down a game retroactively without notice. Microsoft encourages peer reviewers to report objectionable content in a game." "Peer reviewers will reject your game if: -Your game contains prohibited content, which is content not allowed on Xbox LIVE services -You misrepresent what is in the game play or in the promotional materials for the game. All games must have a trial mode that showcases the actual game experience. If you fail to do so, or use this method to provide your game for free, your game will be failed in the Peer Review process. Games are NOT available for free currently on the system. This system is NOT a video hosting service and should not be used as such. -The promotional content for your game ( for example, the box art, description, banner or title) is not appropriate for all ages on Xbox LIVE Marketplace -The game crashes, it has too many bugs, or it is technically defective in some way"

umjames 17y ago
If I understand this correctly, you can't make free games for Xbox? At least you can make free apps for the App Store.
- potatolicious 17y ago
  Worse, you can't make free updates for Xbox games. MS demands that all additional content cost money - this has been a point of contention between Valve and MS recently, as they are in the habit of releasing frequent, small content packs their games, and the pricing structure prevents this.
  - Gmo 17y ago
    I'd like a source for that claim, because there are some free DLCs for XBOX 360 ...