Guild Wars developer criticizes XBL business model

Jeff Strain, co-founder of ArenaNet and Guild Wars creator, said that Microsoft's Xbox Live business model would have to change in order to attract MMO developers. Strain criticized the XBL system for not providing MMO operators with the necessary ability to form close relationships with the players and communities associated with their games. Without handing the customer relationship back to the publisher/developer, Strain believes that Microsoft will be unable to successfully tap the MMO
market.

Strain's comments follow the announcement that NCsoft, the publisher of Guild Wars, has no plans to develop titles for the Xbox 360, despite already working on projects for other next-gen consoles.