Xbox Tells Developers To Avoid Exploiting The Achievement System With Identical Releases
By They will have to connect versions instead
- by Fraser Gilbert
- Yesterday, 3:30pm
Through the years, we have encountered numerous games aimed at capitalizing on the “easy achievements” niche and act as a straightforward method to boost your gamerscore, which is a valid strategy in certain scenarios.
However, Xbox possesses regulations regarding such matters, and in their recent crackdown, they have seemingly focused on “triple-stack” games – a scenario where a developer releases several versions of their titles on the Xbox Store.
These are typically categorized into Xbox One, Series X|S, and PC variations, each featuring its own achievements. Nevertheless, according to a communication to developers obtained by True Achievements, this practice will seemingly be prohibited going forward.
“In the future, launching identical games that ‘fail to deliver distinctive experiences’ will breach section 10.1 Distinct Function & Value; Accurate Representation of Microsoft Store policy.”
The email reportedly indicates that if developers wish to launch multiple identical versions of their games across various platforms, they will either need to implement Xbox Play Anywhere or utilize a feature known as “game binding,” where elements like achievements and save progress are interconnected.
If all of this materializes, the outcome should result in significantly fewer indie games with “(Xbox One)” and “(Xbox Series X|S)” in their titles – ultimately leading to diminished clutter and an opportunity for more new releases to garner attention. It also suggests that there will be less available gamerscore, but more legitimate avenues to acquire it!
If you remain puzzled, you can view some illustrations of so-called “triple stack” games in the video below.
What do you think about this? Share your opinions in the comments below.
[source trueachievements.com]
Fraser serves as the News Editor at Pure Xbox, where he dedicates his time to covering the most significant stories in the realm of Xbox and beyond.
