Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
XBLA Is A “Slaughterhouse” For Small Devs
Hello Games, the four-person development team behind the awesome PSN title Joe Danger, recently explained their choice of going with Sony versus Microsoft. Sean Murray, Hello Games’ managing director, likened XBLA to a “slaughterhouse.”
"Why choose PSN? It was the only way we could self-publish," said Murray in response to a question. "XBLA is kind of a slaughterhouse for smaller developers. There are games that do amazingly well. But there's two titles released every week and a lot of those are falling in that 25,000 or less category."
Murray also asserted that 47 percent of self-published developers on XBLA have sold less than 25,000 copies, 23 percent have sold around 100,000, 13 percent have sold 200,000 copies, and 17 percent over 200,000.
How did Joe Danger stack up? Apparently the awesome downloadable broke even the first week, weighing in at 50,000 copies sold.
A few publishers were doubtful in the potential of Joe Danger however, and Murray revealed some startling responses from them. "Name me one popular game with motorbikes, we want games that are less about fun right now" and "can Joe be a monkey? We like monkeys,” Murray recited.
We’re thankful that Hello Games’ Joe Danger was able to see the light of day, and we’re also thankful for the developer insight into XBLA’s processes. If you don't know what Joe Danger is all about, be sure to read our raving review.
Source: GamesIndustry.biz
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
