Why the Console Industry Needs a Wake Up Call

[Armando]

Re: Why the Console Industry Needs a Wake Up Call

It costs $30,000 to submit an XBLA title to Microsoft for certification.

Damn.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: Why the Console Industry Needs a Wake Up Call

$40,000, actually, per Fez creator Phil Fish.

[DakAttack]

Re: Why the Console Industry Needs a Wake Up Call

There must be an additional 10k fee for "Indie" developers. Or maybe it's somewhere in between and a matter of rounding up or down.

[Armando]

Re: Why the Console Industry Needs a Wake Up Call

That's very unkind to indie devs. If I made a game solo in my parents' basement, I'd basically have to take out a car loan just to put it on XBLA? AND they still want timed exclusivity?

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: Why the Console Industry Needs a Wake Up Call

This is why Steam is now implementing a policy that waives these fees. While it could pose some problems of the Fez variety initially, developers and even modders would be able to make fixes available more quickly than Sony or MS would allow.

Its also these authentication fee that are the cuplrit for shenanigans like Street Fighter X Tekken's notorious on-disc DLC. Capcom didn't want to pay out for that down the road, so they planned the content in advance and slapped it on the disc to get around Sony and MS's authentication fees. It was still a dickbag move on Capcom's part, though, but understandable in a Scrooge kind of way.

Its likely those that make DLC exclusivity deals with MS also get these fees waived, otherwise a game like Skyrim would not enjoy the small fixes and additions it has on 360. It also explains why the PS3 fixes aren't so much of a priority for them, though again, only in that Scrooge-like way. PC, as always, gets a slightly higher priority, but Steam allows for fans to participate in those patches, too. So its really Zenimax being the dickbag and Bethesda Game Studios being a Scrooge McDuck than just a Scrooge. If Zenimax weren't making these exclusivity deals with MS I'm sure PS3 would be an actual priority for updates and not get them later than everyone else.

Licensing and authentication are two things that need to dramatically change for PC and console as they're now proving to do more harm than good. Actually, they always did more harm than good, its just easier to see now.

[Armando]

Re: Why the Console Industry Needs a Wake Up Call

Its also these authentication fee that are the cuplrit for shenanigans like Street Fighter X Tekken's notorious on-disc DLC. Capcom didn't want to pay out for that down the road, so they planned the content in advance and slapped it on the disc to get around Sony and MS's authentication fees. It was still a dickbag move on Capcom's part, though, but understandable in a Scrooge kind of way.

It all makes sense now.

[Malacite]

Re: Why the Console Industry Needs a Wake Up Call

Yeah that's honestly pretty deplorable - especially since it almost makes me feel sorry for capcom.

[Aeni]

Re: Why the Console Industry Needs a Wake Up Call

No, Ray's right.

I think Nintendo is the only of the big three that can justify a console. MS and Sony sell me games I could just play on PC. Nintendo sells me Nintendo games, thus the purchase is justified. Even 3DS and Vita stand to offer me games I couldn't get anywhere else, but I can't say that about 360 and PS3.

You have a point there. I haven't been following the current generation as nearly as well as many of you do, so I'm out of touch with the "library" of software, especially in regards to "cross-platform" releases. I only see aggregate sales figures and don't tend to see the breakdown and the intricacies that entail those figures.