Skullgirls' Eliza Character DLC

Following its accidental release on Xbox 360, the Eliza character DLC for 2D fighting game Skullgirls was removed from the Xbox Marketplace when a bug that had been present for over two years was discovered, developer Lab Zero Games has informed XBLA Fans.

Eliza, whom Lab Zero has previously referred to as “a diva with a dark secret, and our most ambitious character to date,” was briefly made available to download late last month before unceremoniously getting the hook.

“Launching a new Skullgirls character is a complicated process: we have a title update, compatibility pack, and the DLC itself. To actually get Eliza out, all three need to pass certification,” said Bartholow. He was referring to the intricate process of successfully getting new content for the game through Microsoft certification so that it can be digitally distributed to Xbox 360 gamers. Prior to the title update and compatibility pack completing that process, a “bureaucratic mix-up” caused the Eliza DLC to be immediately released on the Xbox Marketplace after it passed certification.

Lab Zero requested that Microsoft pull the DLC since the process for getting new Skullgirls content released on Xbox “is already confusing enough without presently non-functioning DLC on the [Marketplace],” explained Bartholow. Gamers were reportedly confused by the accidental release, with some even experiencing issues with the new, non-working content causing older DLC to be re-locked.

The title update and compatibility pack failed certification when Microsoft uncovered a “must-fix bug” that had been present in the game since it launched in April of 2012. Because the bug had existed for almost two and a half years without issue, Lab Zero requested that Microsoft forgot requiring a fix, but the console holder denied the request.

Speaking on the game’s forums yesterday, Lab Zero announced that the bug in question has since been fixed, and that the new content has been re-submitted to Microsoft for another pass at certification. The studio’s best estimate is that Eliza will be made available to Xbox 360 owners within two weeks.

Eliza’s in-game abilities include manipulating her own blood to shape-shift into a number of Egyptian cultural icons and mythological symbols. She can also summon a pair of bodyguards and dislodge her skeletal parasite to perform attacks. Lab Zero claims that she’s one of Skullgirls‘ most versatile characters yet, and that her story mode is the most comprehensive.