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Microsoft Tweaks XBLA Game Ratings Requirements

by Matthew Kato on Apr 20, 2011 at 06:45 AM

In March, some indie developers complained that gamers could too easily manipulate the Xbox Live Arcade games rating system in order to artificially push some games up or down the service's Indie Games chart. Now Microsoft has responded with a few tweaks to the ratings system.

Microsoft now says that only Xbox Live Gold members can rate indie games on xbox.com, whereas previously this was open to Silver members. However, Silver members can still rate titles through the 360 itself. Also, Microsoft says that it won't roll back the number of one-star votes that some games have received.

This issue started when some indie developers complained that some gamers were deliberately giving one-star votes to titles that were threatening their favorite games in Microsoft's Xbox Live Indie Games Chart.

We're not sure what kind of effect banning Silver members from voting on xbox.com will have, so it'll be interesting to see how this situation develops.