The Xbox Live service has always been a source of pride for Microsoft, with a recent press conference at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas announcing that 40 million users are now connected to Xbox Live, an impressive number for a console with 66 million units sold.
One of the reasons for Xbox Lives success is that Microsoft has worked hard to control every aspect of the platform. By making Xbox Live a closed environment that they control, Microsoft has the ultimate say in what content you receive, when you receive it, and how it works. While PlayStation 3 owners may be able to use Netflix on their free PlayStation Network service, Microsoft requires an Xbox Live Gold account for using such a service. Want to play a game? Youll need Xbox Live. Xbox Live follows Microsofts plan, and game publishers and developers are expected to follow along.
For the most part, this strategy has worked well for gamers. While Xbox Live may be a subscription service, it receives frequent updates, has a multitude of support from content providers, and has proven to be a relatively stable experience. But as game developers and publishers begin to experience with online services and platforms, theyre beginning to find themselves blocked by Microsofts closed Xbox Live policy, and these decisions are trickling down to Xbox gamers.
When Microsoft was showing off the Xbox 360 prior to its release, one of the games shown with pride was the Xbox 360 port of the MMO Final Fantasy XI which, when released, allowed users to subscribe to the MMO and play online using only the Silver Xbox Love service, bypassing the usual Xbox Live Gold requirements. But gamers hoping for a future of playing MMOs on their consoles found the future disappointing, with Square Enix
stating that the follow-up Final Fantasy VIX MMO never made it over to the Xbox 360 because of Microsofts closed Xbox Live policies that prevented them from giving the game the same type of environment as the PC and PlayStation 3 version of the game.
This closed environment has also killed off MMOs from other companies. Cryptics Champions Online and Star Trek Online were said to already be running on the Xbox 360 before they were cancelled over an inability to get the games working with Microsofts vision of their online services. Korean MMO Kingdom Under Fire II has suffered perpetual delays on the Xbox 360 as the publishers work with Microsoft over billing policy disputes, and Funcoms planned Age of Conan MMO port for the Xbox 360 got the axe when they couldnt make it work.
This closed Live policy hasnt just been limited to affecting what games make it over to the Xbox 360, but also influence how content makes it over to games on the Xbox 360. Microsofts patching process for games on the Xbox 360 is also a closed environment, meaning they get to dictate the size of the patch. In the case of the game Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit, it meant the 1.2 patch for the game was too large to be sent over Lives automatic patching for the title, resulting in the patch download being placed as a free download on the Xbox Live Marketplace. This effectively decreased the visibility of the patch and limited the player pool, as those who did not grab the patch couldnt play with those who did.
