Almost exactly two years ago, I shared how Microsoft would be shutting down Xbox Live Indie Games this year. Incidentally, it was revealed just yesterday that the same month – this one, for those of you without a calendar (wait, what?) – will feature that dreadful day. The day after which Xbox 360 owners will no longer be able to purchase games on the platform… and it’s right around the corner!
Okay so ‘right around the corner’ is a bit of a stretch, seeing how September 29 is it. Makes me wonder whether a lot of people are going to pick up an absolutely ridiculous amount of Xbox Live Indie Games titles on that day. Sure would be a lovely sendoff for the platform; a platform I’ve done my best to cover over the past five years. Oh, and users will still be able to download purchased titles after the 29th, so there’s that.
As far as concerns regarding Xbox Live Indie Games developers getting paid, seeing how the $150 threshold might never be met for some: no need to worry because everyone’s getting what they’re owed – this November. On a related note, support will be active until New Year’s Eve, after which the XNA Creators website will be but a thing of the past.
All that said, how about some good news amidst all this sad stuff? Xbox Indie Refuge! There. What? Oh, it’s just a truly groovy Steam curator, focusing on ports of Xbox Live Indie Games… on Steam. Yup. Personal favorites include Smooth Operators, One Finger Death Punch, and of course, Breath of Death VII.
So in a way, all is not lost, given the amount of former Xbox 360 exclusives that have found their way onto Valve’s popular digital storefront. Heck, some of these not only run better on Windows/OS X/Linux but have also received significant updates in one form or another. Pretty groovy, I’d say.
(Source: @Id_Xbox, Siliconera)