The recent Kinect dashboard update for Xbox 360 brought with it several changes to the navigational structure to Microsoft’s Xbox Live Marketplace, none of which are winning over indie developers.

Chief among concerns is the cryptic placement of the Xbox Live Indie Games storefront. Separate from the ‘Games & Demos’ channel, users must browse through Specialty Shops to view indie listings. Devs fear that adding another layer to the mix – and one that is cut off from the main hub for XBLA efforts – will result in decreased visibility. Hard to argue with that.

“It just.. boggles the mind. Clearly it’s not based on even the simplest logic.. which is what I’d assume gamers vaguely use when scrolling through those lists,” lamented Mommy’s Best Games president Nathan Fouts – the studio behind indie hit Weapon of Choice. He added, “It’s not like there’s not enough space (there’s only 3 boxes in Games and Demos.) It’s a categorical failure (literally).”

“Gamer “I’d like a game”. They go to the Games and Demos spot. And then they’re done. No one will naturally think ‘games’ are in the specialty store.”

Another dev – Jason Deacon – has already dropped two projects and does not plan to resume work unless Microsoft changes its tune toward indie efforts. “Personally, I’ve stopped work on my two XBLIG projects until I see a clear and positive direction emerge for XBLIG, and so far it’s not looking good,” he noted.

mourning thread: xbligs are not “games” any longer… [MSDN Forums]

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