Microsoft to Delist Underperforming XBLA Games, Talks Xbox 360 Spring Dashboard Update

Xbox Live general manager Marc Whitten said in an interview that Microsoft will enact a new policy of delisting underperforming titles on its Xbox Live Arcade downloadable gaming platform.

Whitten explained that candidates for delisting are those XBLA games which have been out for six months, scored less than 65% on Metacritic, and have a conversion rate of less than 6%.

"This way titles are not just considered if they are not selling well or not getting good reviews, but actually a combination of both," Whitten told Next-Gen. "We will also give a three-month notice before delisting any title. Overall I think you will find this will focus the catalogue more on larger, more immersive games and make it much easier to find the games you are looking for."

Whitten added that though no significant spring update for the Xbox 360 dashboard is coming, the Xbox Live team is preparing a new digital rights management tool that will allow gamers to better consolidate licenses for downloaded content to a single console for online and offline play.

The new DRM is said to remedy a problem in which Xbox Live games require an Xbox Live connection if played on a console other than the original Xbox 360 the games were purchased on, a big headachoe for gamers who have replaced several dead consoles.

Also confirmed in the interview was the Xbox Live Arcade size limit increase from 150MB to 350MB, eluded to earlier this week by XBLA planner David Edery.