XBLIG companion app for Windows Phone 7 is in beta now

Update: We’ve made a page dedicated to the production of the app. 

I’ve been working with Casey Young to promote an app he has put together to make finding XBLIGs a more convenient experience. As XBLIG developers, we’ve grown weary from having gamers complain that our titles are difficult to find on the marketplace. Yesterday’s LIVE update is certainly a blessing, and should help gamers better find our programs, but we thought it was time we put it on ourselves to push our titles as well. With that, we’ve released the XBLIG companion app for Windows Phone 7 . This program is currently in beta, and was been rolled out to select testers earlier this week. Although I’ve captured this preview using the Windows Phone 7 emulator, your final experience should be similar.

The app was developed by Casey Young (@elementCY) of Eleventy-Aught Twelve Studios.   The functionality of the app is about 90% complete, although we are still looking into the design to help to make it flow better and be more appealing to the eyes. With the way Casey is building it, XBLIG companion should be fairly easy to port over to other devices, so having this on iOS and Android is not only doable, but most likely will happen.

How it works

The XBLIG companion works by scraping the RSS feeds of XboxIndies.com, as well as the XML and CSV data for all of the games. The process is fully automated, so as the games are updated, so are the feeds.

Top Picks

The collection of picks comes from two blogs covering the XBLIG community: IndieGamerChick.com and ArmlessOctopus.com. Both site admins will have access to the app, which will allow them to update their picks at their whim.

In addition to this, the developers will be polled on a frequent basis to promote the games they feel best belong on the program as well, thereby generating the “devs picks” section.

Exploring the games

Once a title is clicked on, all of the developer’s information from the Xbox LIVE marketplace is carried over, including screen shots, cover art, and a brief summary.

Marketplace link

Clicking the marketplace link will bring you directly to Microsoft’s LIVE marketplace, where you will have the ability to purchase the XBLIG of your choice by logging into your LIVE account. From there, you can remotely activate your Xbox, and the title will be downloaded and installed in one fell swoop, without you ever having to physically touch it yourself.

Conclusion

The release date is not set in stone just yet, but we’ll be sure to update you as it approaches. If you have a Windows Phone 7 handset and would like to be a beta tester, please feel free to contact me at Dave at Armless Octopus dot com. For more information, follow along this thread on the App Hub.

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4 thoughts on “XBLIG companion app for Windows Phone 7 is in beta now

  1. Pingback: XBLIG companion app for Windows Phone 7 (In Beta) - Windows Phone Forums at wpcentral.com

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