Microsoft removes submission fee for Xbox 360 title updates

Microsoft seems to be opening the door to welcome smaller-scale developers to the Xbox 360. According to Eurogamer , the company has stopped charging developers for title updates. Earlier, the Redmond-based company used to charge what some indie developers would describe as an exorbitant fee for any title updates that are made to their games.

Notably, this is what has prevented indie developer Phil Fish from pushing out an update that fixes many bugs in his much-celebrated game Fez. Microsoft used to give one title update free of charge and charged money for subsequent updates. Fish has recently tweeted about this, stating: “I will get in touch with them and see if their new policy is retro-active.” He continues , “But honestly, I feel it’s kind of a long shot. Something tells me it won’t be.”

Microsoft is being more welcoming to smaller developers with this move

There is, of course, a catch to this. If a developer is making too many re-submissions for an update due to it continuously failing certification, Microsoft can charge money. The system of giving only one free title update was originally created to encourage developers to take as long as they needed to push out a bug-free product.

Microsoft has provided a full statement to Eurogamer that details removal of the submission fee for title updates. “Microsoft eliminated fees for Title Updates on Xbox 360 Arcade games in April 2013,” said the statement. “We’re constantly evaluating our policies and implementing feedback.

“While our development policies are confidential, and will remain so, we’re pleased to say that this is just one of many ongoing changes and improvements we’ve made to ensure Xbox is the best place possible for developers and gamers.”

Thanks to this, expect better developer support for games, including bug fixes and balance changes.