Microsoft has responded to indie developers’ criticisms of Xbox 360’s revamped UI, namely the new placement of Indie Games.
As of Monday’s mandatory update, the Indie Games channel is now placed under the Speciality Shop section of Game Marketplace, next to Avatar Marketplace, Game Room, and the different music shops; a choice that doesn’t sit well with a number of developers who quite vocally voiced their concerns yesterday.
In a statement released on the matter today, Microsoft’s responded, saying it “continues to support the efforts of independent game developers” and points out that indies’ offerings proximity to the popular Avatar Marketplace should in fact prove beneficial.
“The intent of the Speciality Shops section was to provide access to marketplaces that focus on a specific type of content, with unique ways of sorting through that content,” the statement reads.
“We wanted to give Xbox Live Indie Games that full marketplace experience and felt this was the best place to do it, alongside other popular channels like the Avatar Marketplace.
“In fact, since the launch of Avatars, Xbox Live members have made more than 290 million customisations to their Avatar’s clothing, so we expect many people to regularly visit the Speciality Shops section.”
Unlike Indie Games, however, Avatar Marketplace can be conveniently accessed via Xbox Guide as well as one’s Gamertag.
