XBLIG Explosionaide has been delayed indefinitely due to Xbox Marketplace flaws
Explosionade, developed by Mommy’s Best Games, has been delayed once more after a previous delay for a near release bug. However, this time the delay doesn’t arise from their internal code glitches or bugs, rather more Xbox Live Marketplace issues. Nathan Fouls, the studio head of Mommy’s Best Games, has posted on the studio’s development log that the Top Downloads portion of Xbox Live Marketplace can be “stuck for days, sometimes over a week.” Fouls claims that their games could lose a potential revenue boost from this feature and it hurts the players as well. By not updating accurately, many gamers may miss popular titles and think that nothing currently popular is worthwhile. Explosionade has been delayed indefinitely until Microsoft has responded to this issue. Quite a shame as the game was looking quite good and fun, but now we may never get it or at least have to wait a while longer.
Fouls has recently updated the developer log post to respond to common questions asked, regarding their announcement such as “Who’s to say you’ll be in the top list?” and “Why don’t you just release it after the dashboard is working?” From his answers, Fouls has clearly thought quite a bit about the situation and has opted to choose a tough decision, which may very well result in a never ending battle for fixes that never come. The log is an interesting read and a small glimpse into the world of independent game making struggles, so go check it out here or a direct link here: http://mommysbest.blogspot.com/2010/10/top-downloads-is-broken-delaying.html
Personally, I applaud them for sticking to their guns and bringing attention to an issue that is extremely relevant to both developers and gamers, but we shall have to wait and see if their efforts will bring results. If you have never heard of Explosionade before or Mommy’s Best Games, check out their official YouTube.