Developing Games for Xbox Live Arcade Katie Stone-Perez Game Program Manager Xbox Live Arcade Microsoft
Endless Fun is Just a Download Away!
Agenda 1 st Generation Results Xbox Live Arcade on the Xbox 360 Goals Current Statistics What s New with the Platform Development Considerations and how to get your submission approved
Xbox Live Arcade 1 st Generation Launched November 2004 in North America; Europe/Asia in April 2005 Disc-based solution One pack in title included free of charge Additional titles available to download, try, and buy over Xbox Live Conversion rates strong @ 8.5%
Xbox Live Arcade Xbox 360 Goal: Build a frictionless distribution model for broad appeal content on Xbox 360 Single destination to discover, download, and try/buy broad-appeal games built into every console High-visibility placement (Games Blade) Deep Marketplace integration (download, purchase, licensing) Available to both Silver & Gold Xbox Live Subscribers Arcade-specific banner placements drive awareness of new titles Rich around-the-game feature set drives retention & repeat play
Xbox Live Arcade Dashboard Deep Integration with Achievements, Gamerscore, and Live Leaderboards
Importance of Xbox Live Arcade Strategic to the Xbox 360 Platform Relevant content for secondary/tertiary gamer in the household Relevant content for primary gamer (retro, action). Provides quick gameplay experiences Only have 15 minutes to play; waiting for friends to get online; looking for a simple dose of fun Opportunity for Xbox 360 Developers Opportunity to reach an entirely new audience Drive innovation & creative expression without taking on the risk of a large development budget Low upfront financial risk with a potential high return on investment
Early Results of Xbox Live Arcade Over 25 games now available Phenomenal launch window results for Xbox Live Arcade Over five million Arcade downloads since launch Across the board conversion rate average of 22% Highest title converting at over 50% Over 65% of connected Xbox 360 consoles are downloading and playing Arcade games
Top Arcade Titles to Date Geometry Wars UNO Marble Blast Ultra Gauntlet Zuma
Xbox Live Arcade Platform What s Next? Dashboard Updates Dev Task- Make sure you set your Genre in ArcadeInfo.xml! Arcade Wednesdays!!! Regular release schedule for Arcade games Camera Video Chat Face in Game Gesture Leader Recognition Talk to Digimask, GestureTek at Gamefest
What is an Xbox Live Arcade Game in Xbox 360? Full game experience No pieces of games Must stand on its own Smaller in size <50 MB (BroadBand in North America, International higher) Sub-25-MB Goal (2 games on 1 Memory Unit) Playable without physical media or other dependencies No instruction manual required Approachable pickup & play Free Trial Version with limited but entertaining gameplay Must up-sell to unlocked full version In-game promotional up-sell Plugs into Xbox Live Arcade around-the-game experiences Out-of-game Leaderboards Achievements & Gamerscore Cross-game invites
The 6 Pillars of What We Look for in Games How to Get Your Game Approved Innovation Gameplay Visuals Multiplayer Marketplace Interaction Global Appeal
Gameplay Fits within 50 MB limit Unique ideas Pick-up and play gameplay Allows for bite-size entertainment experience Designed for the ENTIRE family Handicapping Kid-friendly options Continues
Visual Bar Does this game look like it belongs on the Xbox 360? Visual Re-Design, not just a port
Multiplayer Xbox Live & designing for smaller populations Local Multiplayer (2+ on a single console) Co-Op Offline gameplay & tracking
Marketplace Premium Downloadable Content Levels & Maps Weapons & Character Objects Game Types Game Skins Picture Packs Themes
Worldwide Appeal Design with a global customer in mind Localization
Developing for Arcade on Xbox 360 Achievements & Gamerscore Gamerscore 200 Gamerscore Achievements 12 achievements Achievement curve Show creativity!
Developing for Arcade on Xbox 360 Adapting Your Game from Another Platform 10 ft. vs. 2 ft. experience Adapting your characters and game elements for better visibility and control on a TV TV Displays Colors Fonts and other small detail Don t forget standard definition! Controls and Navigation In Game Controls, optional control devices Menu and UI elements
The Benefits of Developing for Arcade Xbox Developer Support and Xbox 360 Central Game Requirements Doc for Arcade Xbox Live Arcade Developer Forum TCR Compliant Multiplayer Network Stack Arcade Developer Brownbag Sessions Milestone Acceptance Testing Certification Assistance Partnerships in place with testing and localization vendors
High-Level Development Process \ Step #1: Submit Concept Work with Arcade Portfolio Planning team (arcade@microsoft.com) or your established account manager to determine whether your title is a good fit and to iron out the business details. Step #2: Kickoff Get engaged with the Arcade production team to discuss requirements and best practices that are unique to Arcade titles. Get lined up with Arcade-specific support materials. Step #3 Get Cranking Develop an awesome Arcade title that every Xbox 360 owner will have to have! Work with the Arcade team along the way to check progress of the title at various milestones. Step #4 Submit to Cert Arcade titles are certified along with all other Xbox 360 titles. Step #5 Release to Market The title is made available in Marketplace and the downloads begin.
How to Get Started For Independent Developers: Work with Arcade Portfolio Planning team (arcade@microsoft.com) to determine whether your title is a good fit and to iron out the business details. NDA Submit Concept Submission Form & Materials Playable Demo For Publishers Work with your established account manager
DirectX Developer Center http://msdn.microsoft.com/directx Game Development MSDN Forums http://forums.microsoft.com/msdn Xbox 360 Central http://xds.xbox.com/ XNA Web site http://www.microsoft.com/xna 2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. This presentation is for informational purposes only. Microsoft makes no warranties, express or implied, in this summary.