In a recent interview with Gamesindustry.biz, Xbox Live big cheese, Aaron Greenberg, made some bold predictions about the implications of Xbox Live cutting a number of underperforming titles. One area of concern has been that developers will stick with "safe," formulaic games in order to maintain the standards necessary to keep their games from being delisted. Mr. Greenberg however, sees things differently:

"I really don’t think we will see that at all, in fact many unique style games typically get stronger reviews because they stand out from the pack."

He makes an interesting point indeed and most likely a good one. Many of the best reviewed downloadable titles have been quirky offshoots like Alien Hominid HD and Puzzle Quest, so perhaps forcing developers to add new twists to already established genres is a formula for success. Over on the rival PS3 platform, Sony has seen some great success with offbeat titles like flOw and PixelJunk Monsters.

Essentially, Greenberg sees the whole issue boiling down to cutting down on junk and bringing a more friendly experience to users. He states that, "What we are saying is that our focus with Xbox Live Arcade is going to be on quality over quantity... We believe that with this focus, the increased size limits and the investment in our first-party studio you will see XBLA games continue to improve throughout the year.”

One area that won’t be affected by the cuts is the recently announced Community Games created with XNA. Since these titles undergo a different submission and certification process, they are not required to adhere to the same rules as other XBLA games. Here’s hoping that XNA doesn’t become the new dumping ground for crappy games trying to make a quick buck.