Microsoft 'wrestled' with Watchmen XBLA size exception

Following the debut of Watchmen: The End is Nigh on Xbox Live Arcade, Ars Technica spoke to Microsoft regarding the game's size. The title clocks in at over 1.2 gigabytes, making it the largest Xbox Live Arcade title to date. Honestly, the size restriction on XBLA -- originally 50MB -- seems to change so much that we're beginning to lose track. Still, even with games regularly hitting the service at over 300MB, 1.2 gigs is pushing it.

So, what pushed Watchmen over the edge? We imagine being tied into the release of the film had something to do with it, not to mention that a refusal by Microsoft would have made the game exclusive to the Playstation 3. Ars Technica reports that Microsoft "wrestled" with the decision to make an exception, but eventually allowed it in order to "ensure the best customer experience and optimize overall gameplay."

If 1.2 gigs is indicative of the overall quality of Watchmen, the next game had better be twice as big.