Following 2D Boy’s report that Xbox Live Arcade has reached its peak and is on the downslide, a number of analysts have taken to the platform’s defense, stating unequivocally that XBLA still has plenty of mileage left.
“In terms of digital games delivered through a home console, Microsoft will continue to be the market leaders,” said EEDAR’s sexy elven prince Jesse Divnich. “I am not disagreeing with Mr. Carmel, I believe some of his points are valid and any digital service provider has its own restrictions and hurdles. Not every game is the right fit for every service.”
Michael “Last House On The Cleft” Pachter chimed in: “That doesn’t sound right to me. If anything, there are more titles than ever, but we haven’t had a Braid or Limbo so far this year. As the 360 price comes down and the installed base continues to grow, there should be a significantly larger addressable market for XBLA games, so I think it continues to grow.”
Billy Pidgeon of M2 Research agreed, but said the 2D Boy piece was still worth noting, as it indicates that a “specific group of independent developers” have moved on, while Sony wins more unique, differentiating content on PSN.
Xbox Live Arcade hasn’t peaked – analysts [Eurogamer]
