Team17 Director: 'Gates Are Closing' for XBLA Devs

The barrier to entry to Xbox Live Arcade for new developers is rising higher still, Martyn Brown--director of Worms developer Team 17--has told Games Industry.

While Brown believes download distribution has matured and gained acceptance, the odds are increasingly against developers who are not already involved with the platform.

Team17's XBLA games Worms 2: Armageddon and upcoming Alien Breed Evolution.

"It's difficult for any third party, start-up, whatever, to get titles onto Live because there are only so many titles appearing," explained Brown. "It's very, very tricky - I know the amount of applications that get sent for Live Arcade is huge, and there's a finite door there."

"There are a few new IPs in there, but only a few." Brown believes "People will see brand extensions going on there, and all the rest of it, but it's very, very tricky."

"As somebody who's been involved with it for three or four years, I know the momentum needed... so unless it's people who are into it now... I think a lot of these gates are closing. The quality bars are rising, and people really have to put up or shut up."

"If you've got something that's really techy and quirky then you're best bet to get a listen is probably Sony," advises Brown, "whereas with Microsoft you're really going for the commercial mass market audience - which they're had a lot of success with."

Team17 Software currently has two games in its Worms series on Xbox Live Arcade, and is set to release classic shooter remake Alien Breed Evolution later this year.