It was fun to watch you enjoy some of the original Xbox LIVE Arcade games. Not many people know that Xbox LIVE Arcade was available before Xbox 360! I was part of the original team that produced the disc and games, and I remember it well. It was an exciting time, and an exciting product. Still, not many people ended up acquiring the necessary disc, since it was only available from Microsoft (after a $5 shipping and handling fee) and sometimes through magazines like OXM. ($5 wasn't a bad price for the launcher and Ms. Pac-Man though!)
Anyway, I would say that even though it didn't get into many hands, it was a good "experiment" because it's part of what allowed MS to justify the business and build XBLA into the Xbox 360 Dashboard. It's been pretty successful, since, opening the door for widespread digital download on the console. You'll notice that some of the games we're working on today are a tad more complex than some of these games that preceded them, but it's still the same business in many ways. I love it.
One tidbit that you may find interesting is that most of the games sold for the original Xbox LIVE Arcade were sold at USD $20, which is a contrast to nowadays, where the average has been $5-$10 or $10-$15.
It was fun to watch you enjoy some of the original Xbox LIVE Arcade games. Not many people know that Xbox LIVE Arcade was available before Xbox 360! I was part of the original team that produced the disc and games, and I remember it well. It was an exciting time, and an exciting product. Still, not many people ended up acquiring the necessary disc, since it was only available from Microsoft (after a $5 shipping and handling fee) and sometimes through magazines like OXM. ($5 wasn't a bad price for the launcher and Ms. Pac-Man though!)
Anyway, I would say that even though it didn't get into many hands, it was a good "experiment" because it's part of what allowed MS to justify the business and build XBLA into the Xbox 360 Dashboard. It's been pretty successful, since, opening the door for widespread digital download on the console. You'll notice that some of the games we're working on today are a tad more complex than some of these games that preceded them, but it's still the same business in many ways. I love it.
One tidbit that you may find interesting is that most of the games sold for the original Xbox LIVE Arcade were sold at USD $20, which is a contrast to nowadays, where the average has been $5-$10 or $10-$15.
Cheers!