Microsoft have announced that developers using the XNA tools can set the price point they’d like between 200 and 800 points on XBLA.
Size restrictions are based on the price point; the games can range from 50 to 150 MB. The developers will receive 70% of the revenue as Microsoft deduct a ”promotional fee”.
This is open to premium members of the XNA Creators Club who gain access to the tools and can share thoughts as well as their games for peer review. For a developer to be able to charge a price point they must have first submitted the game to the scrutiny of their peers to ensure its ”safe to play.”
”Once the game is reviewed and the price point set, you’re done. The game is listed on Xbox LIVE Marketplace, and you’ll get a check every quarter, for up to 70% of the game’s total revenue in your own currency. Depending on your game’s success, you may even have your game advertised on Xbox 360 and other Microsoft online properties,” says Microsoft’s blurb.
In order to join the premium club you have to pay a subscription which either comes at $49 for four months or $99 for an entire year.
”Creators will receive 70 percent of the total revenue from their game sales as a baseline,” continues the XNA site.
”We will additionally invest in and feature a handful of games at a time by promoting them both on the console as well as on Xbox.com. During this promotional period where games are showcased along with a handful of others, we will deduct 10-30 percent promotional fee based on performance in exchange for driving increased exposure and sales.”
All developers in the Creators Club adhere to the same terms and conditions as everyone else, there’s no preferential treatment.
”Creators can chose to sell their 50 MB games for 200 Microsoft Points, or sell their larger 150 MB games for either 400 or 800 Microsoft Points.” Currently there is no ”no mechanism to distribute free games” over XBLA.
For a guy or gal looking to get a start in the industry the XNA tools could prove a vital stepping stone - while being able to profit from their work too.
Click here to find out more about Xbox LIVE Community Games.
Source: 1UP
