Microsoft has started the new year by loosening submission restrictions for indie developers who publish their games on Xbox Live.
The new guidelines allow for more flexible pricing; as indie devs target the micro-transaction market, it will give them more control over their price points. The XNA studio blog explains: "Another area we're adjusting today is the requirement that titles larger than 50MB be priced at either 240 or 400 points. After raising our maximum size we've decided to also raise this limit. Starting today you can apply the 80 point price to any game with a CCGAME size under 150MB, which is three times the current limit of 50MB.
It will also offer developers much more space to work with. The limit was 150MB, but this has been extended to 500MB. This will allow developers to contemplate making much more complex games.
This will be a welcome relief to indie developers, some of whom were unhappy with the level of Xbox Live coverage they've recieved since the most recent dashboard update.