UPDATE: A link to the offical announcment on the XBLIG forums.
It’s a sad day for current and former XBLIG developers, but it is inevitable that all digital retail stores must come to an end. I’ll post my feelings on the XBLIG program, and share storied about all of the wonderful people I’ve met through the program at a later date, when I’ve had time to consider it all.
I have my career in technology largely due to the welcoming community of XBLIG developers. Below, you’ll find the latest information about sunsetting the program. Please note that we have two (2) years before the storefront will be removed from the Xbox 360.
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Thank you so much for your partnership and interest in creating and releasing Independent Games onto the Xbox 360 platform.
Making sure independent developers have a great way to get their content onto Microsoft platforms, and providing an easy way for new developers to get started was the core goal of the XNA Creators Club, the XNA Game Studio framework and Xbox Live Indie Games.
Today, we are announcing that we are beginning to sunset the XNA Creators Club and Xbox Live Indie Games program on Xbox 360.
Of course, enabling creators remains a core goal of Microsoft. As we move forward, we are excited to showcase the new Windows 10 Universal Windows Platform that enables independent developers to self-publish and release on multiple platforms such as PC, tablets, Xbox One and mobile devices. Third-party tools such as Unity, Unreal Engine, and GameMaker provide a great way for new developers to get started, and all are supported on Microsoft devices with Windows 10.
We also have a great program for independent developers creating for the Xbox One platform via ID@Xbox. You can find more information for both programs following the links below.
With these programs in place and offering a great way forward for development on Windows 10 and Xbox One, we are retiring Xbox Live Indie Games on Xbox 360 on the following schedule (the dates below are estimates and may change slightly):
September 9th, 2015: Users will no longer be able to purchase an annual membership subscription. Any creators who would like to continue active development after September 9th can contact xblig@microsoft.com for free tokens to enable development until September 9th, 2016.
After September 9th, 2016: Creators will no longer be able to publish their titles to marketplace.
Around September, 2017: The Xbox Live Indie Games marketplace will be closed.
Around November, 2017: We will make a final payout to all partners regardless of whether or not they meet the $150 minimum threshold.
We will have support in place for any questions that may arise until 12/31/2017. After that, the XNA Creators website will be taken down.
If there are any questions or concerns about the XBLIG program end, please contact xblig@microsoft.com.
We want to thank our XBLIG Partners by offering a free token to redeem for a membership to the Windows 10 Developer program. Please email xblig@microsoft.com with your full name and XBLIG account ID and we’ll send you a token.
Thank you,
XBLIG Support Team
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@DaveVoyles
