Microsoft has been lambasted for its practice of charging developers exorbitant fees simply to release patches on the Xbox 360. These fees, while certainly affordable by major publishers, have made it impossible for smaller developers and studios to release periodic updates to their games due to the cost.
According to Eurogamer, multiple sources have informed the publication that the fee for recertifying a title following an update has been quietly scrapped.
Microsoft has yet to issue an official statement, but they have undoubtedly made the policy change following complaints that the system was unfriendly to game developers. The change applies to both full retail games as well as Xbox Live Arcade titles.
Unfortunately, there are still a few caveats. According to Eurogamer, developers which are making an "excessive number of re-submissions due to an update failing certification" may still be issued a charge by Microsoft.
