ted-woolsey
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IGF 2012 entrants have a crack at winning the first ever 'XBLA Prize'
Independent Games Festival entrants aren't just charming, attractive, and creative -- they're also potential XBLA developers. At least they are now, after today's announcement of the first "XBLA Prize" by Microsoft and Game Developers Conference administrators UBM, which gives IGF entrants a crack at being fast-tracked on Xbox Live Arcade for publishing by Microsoft. According to the prize sponsors, a "standalone jury of independent game creators" will apparently collaborate with Microsoft to "identify a shortlist" -- a list which will then be considered for the XBLA prize. If the winner so chooses, his/her project will then be offered funding for development across Xbox 360, Windows Phone 7, and Windows, as well as given the opportunity to employ Microsoft's bevy of testing, marketing, and usability support. Alongside today's prize announcement, Microsoft head of first-party publishing Ted Woolsey also revealed that Microsoft invests upward of $20 million annually on XBLA titles, and offered support for the multi-year partnership with the IGF. "The independent development scene wouldn't be nearly as robust as it is today without the exposure provided by the IGF. We look forward to working with the IGF and having a window into to the huge array of independent games that are submitted every year so that we can continue to find the best games to share with our customers."
Microsoft's Ted Woolsey on what it takes to get on XBLA
Xbox Live Arcade offers many developers a great opportunity, spotlighting their games in front of a large audience every Wednesday. As a result, there's obviously plenty of competition to get games on the service. In a recent interview with Gamasutra, Xbox Live Arcade first-party director of publishing Ted Woolsey offered some advice for would be Xbox Live Arcade developers. Woolsey's key advice is for developers to present something different from other offerings on the service. Getting the pitch right is important as well, with Woolsey noting that developers should "get all the great ideas you have out and make sure that they're understandable." In addition to coming up with new concepts, Woolsey also stated that Microsoft is "looking at different business models" and is "aware of what's going on out in the greater games community." Perhaps the Xbox Live free-to-play rumors are coming true after all. Woolsey also offered other details about XBLA, notably that there are typically around 50 XBLA games in development, with about 30 being published in a given year. With so many titles, Microsoft is keen to expand on promotions like Summer of Arcade in order to offer more exposure to various games. Furthermore, Woolsey added that the upcoming 360 dashboard update should make browsing for games a less confusing process.
