Microsoft Announces Plans for Future of Marketplace
Unsurprisingly they involve offering more and better content.
More news emerging from Microsoft’s Gamefest 2006 this week regarding the future of the really rather good Xbox Live Marketplace service indicates that 360 gamers are to see more demos, more micro-transactions, all of course leading to more sales.
This is unsurprising news, as they were hardly going to promise less content to the eager and growing online army of Microsoft points-spunking gamers, lapping up the demos and add-ons being pumped up their pipes.
Microsoft offered some pretty commonsensical advice to developers/publishers – recommending releasing add-ons between 60 and 90 days after a game's release, the period in which the maximum number of people are still actually playing your game. Oblivion, in particular, was wheeled out here as a good example of how to maximise revenue via well-timed, high-quality add-on downloadable content.
They also suggested that demos should be good (like, not rubbish...duh!) and preferably delivered before the game ships, in order to maximise demand around launch - unlike the recently released (and surprisingly popular) Dead or Alive 4 demo which arrived some time after the full game was in stores.
As well as game demos and downloadable content/add-ons, the company also stressed to attendant developers and publishers the importance and value of what it calls 'Community Videos', which it categorises as follows: “Gamer tip and help videos; Humor, parody and machinima videos; Event-specific content (such as E3, X06 etc.); Other videos to drive brand affinity (documentaries).”
Clearly, the success of E3 documentary videos and Bungie's Making of Halo 3 trailer has made them realise the value of this type of content.
So far, so predictable, so what’s new for Marketplace? There was talk of a new type of micro-transaction, referred to as 'consumables' – in-game items which are re-purchaseable. There are also plans to integrate in-game transactions (ie buying ‘exclusive’ weapons in an RPG was an example mentioned) with Marketplace transactions.
SPOnG will bring you more news from Gamefest 2006 and more detailed news on these and other intriguing XBL Marketplace developments as we get it. We are particularly keen to hear more on how Microsoft's strategy for developing and growing the Marketplace service integrates with their long-term plans for Live Anywhere cross-platform gaming. Watch this space.
This is unsurprising news, as they were hardly going to promise less content to the eager and growing online army of Microsoft points-spunking gamers, lapping up the demos and add-ons being pumped up their pipes.
Microsoft offered some pretty commonsensical advice to developers/publishers – recommending releasing add-ons between 60 and 90 days after a game's release, the period in which the maximum number of people are still actually playing your game. Oblivion, in particular, was wheeled out here as a good example of how to maximise revenue via well-timed, high-quality add-on downloadable content.
They also suggested that demos should be good (like, not rubbish...duh!) and preferably delivered before the game ships, in order to maximise demand around launch - unlike the recently released (and surprisingly popular) Dead or Alive 4 demo which arrived some time after the full game was in stores.
As well as game demos and downloadable content/add-ons, the company also stressed to attendant developers and publishers the importance and value of what it calls 'Community Videos', which it categorises as follows: “Gamer tip and help videos; Humor, parody and machinima videos; Event-specific content (such as E3, X06 etc.); Other videos to drive brand affinity (documentaries).”
Clearly, the success of E3 documentary videos and Bungie's Making of Halo 3 trailer has made them realise the value of this type of content.
So far, so predictable, so what’s new for Marketplace? There was talk of a new type of micro-transaction, referred to as 'consumables' – in-game items which are re-purchaseable. There are also plans to integrate in-game transactions (ie buying ‘exclusive’ weapons in an RPG was an example mentioned) with Marketplace transactions.
SPOnG will bring you more news from Gamefest 2006 and more detailed news on these and other intriguing XBL Marketplace developments as we get it. We are particularly keen to hear more on how Microsoft's strategy for developing and growing the Marketplace service integrates with their long-term plans for Live Anywhere cross-platform gaming. Watch this space.
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Comments
Patmos 15 Aug 2006 19:04
1/4
buying an exclusive weapon in an RPG with real money? uhm i don't know about that... seems dicey, first making hairdos, outfits, whatever availible in -game for a "REAL" price sounds fine, I'd be willing to pay a buck to put a huge rainbow afro wig on my oblivion character or whatever, but buying items that actually effect the game content seems like cheating, especially if is in a multiplayer world.
vault 13 15 Aug 2006 20:33
2/4
Patmos wrote:
buying an exclusive weapon in an RPG with real money? uhm i don't know about that... seems dicey, first making hairdos, outfits, whatever availible in -game for a "REAL" price sounds fine, I'd be willing to pay a buck to put a huge rainbow afro wig on my oblivion character or whatever, but buying items that actually effect the game content seems like cheating, especially if is in a multiplayer world.
It actually makes my skin crawl when publishers and developers make you pay for s**t content. It was fine though, because it didn't effect anyone elses experience. Like Patmos said, charging for premium weapons and armor makes the rich kids winners and we don't want that now do we. He who has the deepest pockets laughs loudest indeed.
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SPInGSPOnG 16 Aug 2006 06:10
3/4
Patmos wrote:
buying items that actually effect the game content seems like cheating, especially if is in a multiplayer world.
Yeah, but Microsoft are active proponents of the free market economy, where the rich have a God Given right to do better than the poor.
And real life works that way... rich folks have a better education, better clothes, better haircut, better connections. So they get a better job, or have more capital to start a business.
Why should on-line games be any different to real life?
The anwswer to that rehtorical question is that they shouldn't... but it's real life that needs to change.
charging for premium weapons and armor makes the rich kids winners and we don't want that now do we. He who has the deepest pockets laughs loudest indeed.
The real response to this would be for everyone who is not rich, and for rich people with a sense of social justice to just boycott the games - the real power of the free market... but they won't. People constantly support the mechanisms of their own oppression: Fox Lies, SkyTV, the Republican party, Microsoft's innovation stifling monopoly...
"You choose your leaders and place your trust
As their lies wash you down and their promises rust
You'll see kidney machines replaced by rockets and guns
And the public wants what the public gets"
Vote with your wallet, it's the only power you have in the "new deadmocracy".
hollywooda 16 Aug 2006 09:31
4/4
We are still talking about using a few gamepoints for downloadable content aren't we?..... people complain when the xbox live service isn't being used to it's potetial, then you shot it down when they make a suggestion. I'm all up for avalible content & extending my favourite games. GRAW is a prime example of how this service worked brilliantly.