XBLIG Developers Troubled Over Xbox 360 Dashboard Update

With the release of Microsoft's latest update to the Xbox 360 dashboard come changes that remove Xbox Live Indie Games from the proper games store, provoking some indie developers speak out against the new marketplace. The Xbox 360 games marketplace is now organized into several categories, one of which is the "Games & Demos" section, which includes Arcade Games, Games on Demand, and Demos. Indie Games have been placed in their own section within a separate "Specialty Shops" category, along with the Avatar Marketplace and Game Room. Indie developers on the App Hub forum have expressed concerns about this new organization for the Xbox 360 marketplace, fearing it will only make Xbox Live indie titles less visible to consumers. "I'd like to know the rationale behind it - at least then the community could try and come up with constructive alternatives, rather than being pushed further into obscurity," said user Deej, developer of Clover: A Curious Tale. Other users expressed frustration that indie titles will no longer even be categorized as games by the service. "It's a categorical failure (literally) ... I'm hear (sic) to mourn Indie Games being known as 'games', which I suppose we must now rename Indie Specialties," said Weapon of Choice developer Mommy's Best Games. While the Indie Games section has been separated from the traditional game store, it has received UI adjustments and features the top 50 titles rather than the top 20, putting more titles on display within the Indie Games store.