Xbox Live Arcade Still Top Dog: XNA Boss

Despite improvements and additions competitors have made to their own online offerings, Microsoft said it still sits atop the pile.

"I think we still get an amazing amount of interest. Normally we have way more interest than we kind of have publishing slots to put things in," Microsoft XNA general manager Chris Satchell said when asked about Xbox Live and independent games.

"And when you think about the community and what we're doing with distribution on XNA Game Studio, nobody is going to have that combo. I don't think anybody has got that level of innovation integrated the way we have."

Xbox Live's weekly offerings are a staple of many 360 users' diets. They frequently include revamped versions of favorite arcade and previous console classics, two of the more recent ones being Soul Calibur and Battlezone. There are over 1,000 games available for download.

Nintendo, however, is launching its Wiiware service next month, and Sony significantly revamped its own online store this week.

Satchell appeared unfazed: "We've really got the right tools and distribution mechanisms for that range of content, so I feel really confident about all parts of the ecosystem and I'm going to keep working to make sure we support them correctly," he said.

Gamesindustry.biz