Upon its inception, elements within Microsoft feared Xbox Live Arcade would “completely destroy” the console industry.
Speaking to IGN, XBLA creator Greg Canessa revealed that many at Microsoft simply did not understand the platform or what it offered and thus believed it would undermine and eventually bring an end to console gaming.
“There was a legitimate fear that Xbox Live Arcade was going to cannibalize retail sales and completely destroy the console industry,” Canessa admitted. “That was actually a quote I got from one of the internal folks.”
Some in Redmond feared that games priced at five to ten dollars would bring about the end of console retail publishing and cause the collapse of the industry. Canessa stressed the importance of communicating with others internally at Microsoft and externally with Xbox owners about the possibilities offered by the XBLA platforms and the different kinds of gaming experiences that separate it from traditional retail games.
Xbox Live Arcade has not made the transition from Xbox 360 to Xbox One but Canessa believes it would be prudent to revive the brand.
Today sees the release of the first major Xbox One update of 2016. The February update allows you to view who’s in a group before joining, re-arrange Pins on the Home menu and access them offline, and introduces Gamerscore leaderboards.
Other changes include hotkeys for the Xbox One chat pad and shortcuts to join Twitch streams being hosted by your friends.
While XBLA may not come back, Xbox boss Phil Spencer recently revealed a major change players can expect from Xbox One in future.
