Braid dev wanted theme to be free

By Robert Purchese Published 12 January, 2009

But says Microsoft had other ideas.

Braid creator Jonathan Blow has once more sulked about Microsoft's enforced charges for content on Xbox Live, as fans are asked to pay for a new theme for the game.

"Unfortunately, we had to charge the standard Premium Theme price of 250 Microsoft Points [GBP 2.13 / EUR 3]," writes Blow on the Braid blog.

"We want to make it free, but Microsoft doesn't like giving things out for free."

The theme adds various painted wallpapers plus a slew of backgrounds for avatars on the Friends section of Xbox Live. It's quite pretty, and, as Blow points out, there are no advertisements or Braid slogans anywhere to be found.

To celebrate, Blow wanted to give away free themes to fans, but Microsoft disagreed. Instead, the creator offered up 20 copies of the celebrated Xbox Live Arcade game for fans to win via a Name That Game competition.

You can take part on the Braid blog now, and the contest will end as soon as all copies are taken or when 23rd March rolls around.

Braid was released last summer for the Microsoft-enforced price of 1200 MSP (GBP 10.20 / EUR 14.40), an inflated cost Blow was "less happy" with.

Still, he has every opportunity to set things right with PC version, which presumably he will be able to dictate the price of upon release sometime between February and March this year.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (59) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Tonka #1 3 years ago

    M$

  • Doctor_What #2 3 years ago

    He should put free themes out for the PS3 instead. Anyone can make and distribute them!

  • miiiguel #3 3 years ago

    I wonder if he didn't know the deal, beforhand...

    If he doesn't dig the way they do shit, why did he do it, in the 1st place ? I wonder if he actualy likes money a lot, but likes to be "punk" rethorically...

    note-to-self: I knew it was a bad idea to buy that theme...
    Edited by 1 at 12/01/09 @ 11:09

  • WiseNail #4 3 years ago

    I love my 360 but I hate this side of Microsoft. Most mission / map based DLC now clocks in at 800 points regardless of the amount of content, Arcade games coming out at 1200 points or more and now 'Premium' themes at 100 points more than the old style ones. MS may be trying to squeeze more out of me, but I'm actually buying less off of marketplace than a year ago because of the inflated prices.

    It will be interesting to see the price of the GTA DLC...

  • JonFE #5 3 years ago

    I loved Braid and would probably use this theme if it resembles the game artistically (I'm sure it does), however I won't be buying any themes (premium or otherwise) out of principle.

  • Tomo #6 3 years ago

    I would never ever buy a theme. It's like buying a Nokia mobile phone covers. What is the point.

  • The_Inquisitor #7 3 years ago

    The only Themes I've bought were for Virtua Fighter 5 and N+. I felt sorry for them though.

  • UncleLou #8 3 years ago

    This is exactly why I can't stand the whole concept behind consoles.

  • clean515 #9 3 years ago

    UncleLou : I dont know with wii but ps3 themes are free and you can make them yourself (on pc).

  • miiiguel #10 3 years ago

    "What is the point."

    None... . It's like an anti Social-Realism exercise (well, that's a point in itself, but... whatever...).
    Edited by 1 at 12/01/09 @ 11:32

  • UncleLou #11 3 years ago

    I don't mean themes specifically, but the idea of a platform holder having the final say over everything. This is just an example.

  • Beano #12 3 years ago

    If the money goes uncut to the Braid developer, I would happily pay for the theme... but no.

  • alimokrane #13 3 years ago

    If people stopped buying themes, Microsoft will be forced to let them go for free but when idiots spend money on them, MS will still rip them off. simple. Boycot the damn things and you will get them all for free.

    Also, surely the Braid developers will get some royalties on sales of Braid themes but I guess it's easier for them to blame it on MS entirely and yet get the money anyway. If they sooo Wanted it to be free, they could have refused it to be offered in exchange for money entirely, YET, they didnt.
    Edited by 2 at 12/01/09 @ 11:50

  • UncleLou #14 3 years ago

    No, they DIDN'T.

  • miiiguel #15 3 years ago

    "if thers only microsoft left in the gameing industry"

    I don't understand this *fear*, I mean, if MS gets a monopoly or some crazy shit like that it will be because others didn't do a proper job. And I don't buy "out of fear", or "out of pity", sorry... .

    I read there are some crazy online petitions, though...
    Edited by 1 at 12/01/09 @ 12:14

  • Retroid #16 3 years ago

    Can he "thank fans" by patching his game so it doesn't wipe my saved games just because I bought it on a different 360?

    I'd prefer that.

    And before any tards make a comment, it was on my wife's 360, not because of an RRoD :p
    Edited by 1 at 12/01/09 @ 12:19

  • Beano #17 3 years ago

    "I don't understand this *fear*, I mean, if MS gets a monopoly or some crazy shit like that it will be because others didn't do a proper job."

    True, but what do you think would happen to prices, quality and innovation AFTER a monopoly is secured?
    Edited by 1 at 12/01/09 @ 12:18

  • Retroid #18 3 years ago

    We saw how Sony behaved with a near-monopoly. We know how MS behave in a near-monopoly in the OS & Office markets.

    That's why I'm quite happy for MS & Sony to duke it out, it means we benefit from it!

  • Beano #19 3 years ago

    @Retroid : Agreed :)

  • miiiguel #20 3 years ago

    "True, but what do you think would happen to prices, quality and innovation AFTER a monopoly is secured?"

    I don't want to sound rude, but baby sitting companies, and apologizing their mistakes don't fit my job description. I'll cross that bridge if it happens (like I use Linux for 10 years), but not before.

    I mean, we can't really say 360 isn't raising the bar and trully inovating (not so sure about the pricing of content, I give you that...), like is almost the same proportions Vista really sucks bad. I'm not going to stop buying 360 stuff, or drop SuSE..., but I might, who knows ? - maybe things get stalled in 360 land, maybe Windows 7 is very good.
    Edited by 1 at 12/01/09 @ 12:34

  • crazyhorse174 #21 3 years ago

    "In news today, Jonathon Blow, creater of the game Braid said as he left the Ferrari garage after purchasing a new Enzo, 'I really wanted the game to be less expensive and the theme to be free, but Microsoft must have missed the yellow sticky written in invisible ink that I left stuck to the wall of gents toilets saying so. What was that? Caviar? Yes, I'll some of that with my peacock tongue sandwich...'"

  • muscleblade #22 3 years ago

    @KingsXKing

    If you didnt buy the game you dont know how good it is do you?

    I have completed the full game and the game is just as fantastic as the gamecritics say it is.

  • Beano #23 3 years ago

    @miiiguel: MS isn't innovating anything in the gaming scene - not even online - but they to a great job at what they do and have attractive pricing (on the surface anyway) and a solid brand now. If they (or anybody else) get a monopoly, you will see heigher pricing and ness innovations. Not not be rude, but this should be common sense for anybody.
    That's why I think it's extremely shortsighted and naive when people cheer for MS/Sony/Nintendo to fail and die - it will only hurt themselves as consumers.

  • Retroid #24 3 years ago

    @Beano: MS isn't innovating anything in the gaming scene - not even online

    Really?

    XBLA? Even though they did it with virtually no fanfare on the original Xbox, it's given me some of my favourite gaming experiences of this generation.

    Community games? Even if quite a few of them are shite, and there are utter jokes like the fireplace, no-one else has ever opened things up on a console platform.

    I know, I know, PCetc. :)

  • skillian #25 3 years ago

    Retroid - surely those sort of things are the very least that would be expected once this (or any) console was properly online.

    As you yourself said, the PC had already done stuff like it because it had been online for so much longer.

    I think MS' biggest innovations have been achievements and gamerscores (and charging for online play), which were brilliant ideas to create loyalty for the platform.
    Edited by 1 at 12/01/09 @ 13:16

  • Beano #26 3 years ago

    @Retroid : Yes really :)

    As I wrote they do a great job - XBLA is a good example. But not first with online game, not even on consoles (Dreamcast was first).
    Ok true, uniform gamerscores and ahievements are a minor innovation... I'll give you that one :)

    Community games?... Ever heard about Yaruze?
    Sure it was not well known and didn't have a distributiuon method but homebrew on consoles is not really new either.

    But they do innovate in how many competitors's games and features they can rip of within a few years while still being called innovative... Lips, SceneIT, Live Vision games, Avatars :D

    I must again repeat that I think MS are doing a great job - just not very innovative, especially not the last few years.
    Edited by 1 at 12/01/09 @ 13:19

  • paulf #27 3 years ago

    there's really not much difference in MS charging for premium themes than Sony charging for a pair of virtual trousers in Home.

  • Markusdragon #28 3 years ago

    @crazyhorse174 -" but Microsoft must have missed the yellow sticky written in invisible ink that I left stuck to the wall of gents toilets saying so."
    That would be the gents toilets in the locked basement with no lights or stairs and a sign on the toilet door saying 'beware of the leopard', right?

  • Beano #29 3 years ago

    @paulf: So true :)

    But at least a free theme is far more useable than a pair trousers for a avatar you don't ever look at ;)

  • Skurmedel #30 3 years ago

    I don't mind themes costing money, the free themes available is good enough. However I do mind the silly cost of gamer pictures since you can't make your own and they are just low-res pictures anyway. A gamer picture actually serves some function since it distinguishes you from other people in friends lists and putting a rather high price tag on them is just stupid. Still there are free ones to choose from too, but they mostly look shit.
    Edited by 1 at 12/01/09 @ 13:43

  • dominalien #31 3 years ago

    About control over a platform:

    Please bear in mind that Microsoft has control over the PC platform as well. PC gaming = Windows gaming.

    The Games for Windows initiative is a first step, but I wouldn't be surprised if they started creeping in the direction of more control over what gets released on "PC" and for how much.

  • threewayswitch #32 3 years ago

    Has anyone noticed how much faster the MS live service is for downloading updates/ patches/ content than "normal" http-based downloads?

    That's due to the amount of bandwidth that MS has invested in across the UK, Europe and the US to keep the download speeds fast. And bandwidth is not cheap. I work for a game developer making a 360 game and we wanted to put something out free that *wasn't* a trailer/ theme etc- basically something a bit more involved than a screenshot/ wallpaper.

    We were told that MS *have* to charge for a certain amount of content per title in order to support the bandwidth investment model. When you think about it, it makes sense.

    You can't just host a crap-load of content for every game out there for free. It simply does not work from a business standpoint.

  • dominalien #33 3 years ago

    @Mogs

    How is the PC an open platform?

    PC = system = MS control. Proprietary software. If they tighten the leash little by little, there will be no outcry and people will not move away.

    There really isn't anything to move away to, in any case.

  • Beano #34 3 years ago

    @threewayswitch: No, it's because the XBL patches only contains changed data (patches existing files) and not just new version for files like many do.... meaning less data to download.

  • skillian #35 3 years ago

    You can't just host a crap-load of content for every game out there for free. It simply does not work from a business standpoint.

    Then how come PC games have done so since patches were invented? And MS already have a crapload more bandwidth to spare than your average PC developer, obviously. I'm sure the Live subs cover the cost of bandwidth many times over.

  • Nithron #36 3 years ago

    It does amaze me that people are still willing to pay actual money for a few JPEGs and some GIFs.

    It's like the old mobile wallpaper thing all over again...

  • BillyBrush #37 3 years ago

    The theme thing = MS being greedy, as per other stuff that would be free, they need to change this

    The 1,200 point thing though, seems a bit odder...surely Mr Blow could set the price of his content at 800 if he wanted to, or reduce it now if he really wanted this, this side of it makes less sense, i'm not convinced as he would have ye beleive that MS enforce the cost of arcade games, some put em out at 400 like Minter, some 800, surely Space Giraffe could have been 800 if Minter had so wished..i imagine this is more i want X return per sale and to do that it'd be X points which would be more than he makes...which is fairly normal

  • dominalien #38 3 years ago

    And you seem to have heavily rose-tinted glasses on.

    Why are you talking about certification? Closed platform != console-like. Also, the fact that there is no certification now doesn't mean there won't be one in the future. There is driver certification, why not software, once people get used to it enough.

    Truth of the matter is software lives or dies on the whims of Microsoft. Remember undocumented Windows features? The ones that made sure MS software runs better than other people's software, using undocumented features of the system? Don't know if these are still around, but I don't think it inconceivable they're still there. Pressure has been put on MS to remove them, but have they?

    OOXML is another example. Fantastic standard, with functions like "footnote formatting like Word 97" (not actually a quote, can't be bothered to look it up) - with footnote formatting in Word 97 described where? Nowhere.

    What about WinXP activation? Anyone remember the public outcries over this? Everyone lives with it now and no-one thinks about it twice.

    I could go on. My point is, make a big change all at once and people will notice. Introduce small changes little by little and people will get used to them. If you want to believe Windows to be an open platform, I won't argue with you. But I don't consider it to be that, and I believe MS is trying to make it more closed as time goes by. I know I would if I were them.

    EDIT: My actual point, which I failed to make in the paragraph above, is that Windows, hence "the PC" is only as open as Microsoft makes it. I'm not saying it's good or bad, just making a point that our computing lives depend on the decisions of this company - not God, or government of the US, or the whales in the sea or the phases of the moon. That's it.
    Edited by 1 at 12/01/09 @ 15:27

  • ronuds #39 3 years ago

    "I won't pay for a theme out of principal, but I'll pay my cell phone provider for a ring tone!"

    Keep your money in your pocket if you don't want to buy it, but enough with the "principal" excuse. We all pay for stupid things that we don't need. There are many free themes on the marketplace if it's that big a strain on your wallet. But stop comparing this with the PC because it's not a freaking PC! I'm not defending MS, because I certainly wouldn't pay for this garbage, but to act like they're so evil for charging is a bit foolish when you consider what people are paying for these days. They're all after you money, which is how they survive!

    To address someone elses comment: You can make themes for the 360 on your PC as well.

  • skillian #40 3 years ago

    People are trying to make lock down PC gaming and make it more like console gaming, that is true. However, it's a long, long way away at the moment.

    If you don't think people will notice, look at Rock Paper Shotgun's Top 10 Angry Internet Man Angerers of 2008. Unfortunately they seem to dismiss a lot of it as a storm in a teacup (I think, it's hard to tell from that article), but many of us will not go down without a fight ;)

    edit: "the PC" is only as open as Microsoft makes it

    That bit's not really true though. If I wanted to write a game in my bedroom and release it on the internet for free (or for a small fee that I would keep 100% of) I could. That's what makes it open. Potentially Microsoft could turn around and say that with their next operating system, no programs can run unless approved by Microsoft, but this is such a ridiculous idea that it would never happen.
    Edited by 1 at 12/01/09 @ 15:30

  • dominalien #41 3 years ago

    @skillian

    Maybe it's a ridiculous idea, but it's Microsoft's decision to do it if they choose to. Which is what I mean when I say it's as open as they make it.

    I guess my rant about small steps got lost along the way, somewhere.

  • dominalien #42 3 years ago

    @Mogs

    I believe MS will not be "in big trouble" anytime soon. And when they do, it'll be the result of a long, slow process, not the release of a "free OS" by Google or anyone else.

    In order for such an OS to be more-or-less successful, it would have to run all Windows apps right-out-of-the-box at 97% compatibility with all software developers falling over themselves to post huge notices on their websites that they are doing nothing else but removing incompatibilities with said system. Kind of what happened when Vista came out. Somehow, I don't see Google or anyone else (Novell? IBM? Sun? These were really powerful companies once. How much power do they have now?) being able to pull this off.

    There are many hardware manufacturers out there. Many for motherboards, quite a few for HDDs, (at least) two for CPUs. There is only one Microsoft. One system :-) I'm off to buy some of their shares...

  • miiiguel #43 3 years ago

    "@miiiguel: MS isn't innovating anything in the gaming scene - not even online "
    I must disagree, XNA is a great innovation in the console buisness (and I bet they aren't getting rich because of that, it's as nich as a niche can be), same goes for "social networking" which is nowday's Live middle name (you don't pay to chat to death on online parties, and while in different games). A centralized ludic hub where you can pretty much organize all your games; movies; music at a press of a button (the "power on" one) at having all certified to be up to date, allways. I'd say it's a new thing...

    edit: oh... and the "free OS'es", they exist for so long..., Google can have any OS any day, as a matter of fact I have my own OS (no shit...), just compile a kernel and call it "the MS killer OS". It takes so much more than that - it takes years, probably decades to change things as they are now.
    Edited by 1 at 12/01/09 @ 15:49

  • dominalien #44 3 years ago

    @Mogs

    Major problem I see with this is that neither Google or anyone else will have much incentive to do this, unless they simply decide to go out of their way to spite MS. Looking at Red Hat, Novell and some others, I think it's safe to say selling support for Linuxes is... not very profitable.
    Edited by 3 at 12/01/09 @ 16:00

  • miiiguel #45 3 years ago

    er... and the "Google hype" is a tad silly. I remeber the "iPhone killer - we give you the Google phone!".

    Turned out to be a crappy HTC with a Google logo on it...

  • SeesThroughAll #46 3 years ago

    What are you smoking, Mogs?

  • skillian #47 3 years ago

    Sorry, but Mogs is right. If Microsoft tried to require every piece of software being vetted in order to run on Windows, then another OS would replace it very quickly indeed.

    Computers are the greatest invention of modern times, not Windows computers. Millions of industries would fall apart if they couldn't run propietary software, that's why I called it a ridiculous idea. MS would be commiting suicide.

  • dominalien #48 3 years ago

    @KingsXKing

    Welcome to my ignore list.

    @Mogs
    Look at it from another perspective: for developers, it's VERY convenient to have ONE system, ONE development tool, ONE architecture.

    Competition is good for consumers (or is it? switching consoles is easy - as we can see with the Playstation brand, switching computers/systems not so much. Most people will make fun of Macs and the OS X, having used them very little if at all, pretty much like I did the four or five years ago when I first saw one. So probably competition in operating systems is NOT seen as good by consumers themselves. It's all about perception.), but it isn't very good for (in this case) developers.

    MS has always been good to developers (with their good, if not cheap, tools) and they have replied in kind. A new system is new tools; it takes effort to convince developers to use them. Apple nailed it good with the iPhone, for one.

    And a system, beyond basic stability/speed, really is apps. Why is Linux useless? No Photoshop, no games, no other "essential" commercial software. Why? As the dead old guy from "I, robot" with Will Smith would say: "That is the right question".

  • FiZiE #49 3 years ago

    This Braid dev is a big headed looser who seems out of touch with reality. Hes probably ringing up the gaming press saying hes pissed at microsoft for "forcing" him to charge while bathing in a bath of money. Take my advice dude, shut up. You made one good game, congrats. Now go away, nobody cares what you think.

  • Tonka #50 3 years ago

    Anyone start an online petition yet?

  • Machiavellian #51 3 years ago

    Since we know there are free themes on XBL then the question is why MS can tell Mr. Blow that he has to charge for his theme. The simple answer is that MS must have financed Braid and thus has a say in what can be delivered on XBL free or not free just like Gears of War.

    With that said, I am sure Mr. Blow knew that MS would charge for the content but since he is an Indie dev, he can put the blame on MS and still smell like a flower. I am sure if Mr. Blow would like to pay to have the theme free, MS would agree to that but then again who would be that stupid. There probably is a method to MS madness where you have to produce enough sold content before you can give things away for free. Delivering content is definitely not cheap and even though MS probaby do make a profit from XBL, I am sure they want to continue to make a profit. One rule fits them all.

    As for Google making their own OS and selling it for free, I am sure google wants no part of that. Even Apple doesn't sell their OS for free and for good reason. Development on a OS cost a lot of money. It cost even more if you are going up agaisnt MS and Apple. Since Goolge doesn't make their own hardware like Apple, they would have to support a huge amount of Hardware and software. Even if Google build the OS off of a linux kernal, the cost would still be high because they would need to customize the build that made it unique from everyone else and good enough to stand on it's own. Just because Google name is behind it doesn't come close to making it a success. Keeping the OS in BETA like they do most of their products will not be a win that will gather developers and hardware OEMs to their OS.

  • Calgon #52 3 years ago

    But they do innovate in how many competitors's games and features they can rip of within a few years while still being called innovative... Lips, SceneIT, Live Vision games, Avatars :D

    Sony seem to be able to convince the gullable they are innovative though dont they? Who said any of those games/concepts were innovative? I didnt even consider their equivelants innovative(not a single one of them).

    Sega>Nintendo>MS>Sony thats the order I place them in for innovation.
    Edited by 1 at 12/01/09 @ 18:45

  • bonker #53 3 years ago

    "this is what they did years ago with the first windows system that came out years ago on the first home computer."

    Not many Mac users on this site then?? I expected a torrent of abuse when I first read this :)

  • bonker #54 3 years ago

    Sorry but I can't resist pushing back at some of the BS in here re alternative OS's to MS/Windows.

    If it was that easy then it would have been done already, given the potential rewards.

    You may not like MS for many, many reasons but for the PC platform they are head and shoulders, and I mean HEAD AND SHOULDERS above any of the so-called competition when it comes to their OS' and most of their applications too.

    I say again, bring it the fuck on if you think you can do it better - of course, 99.999% of people wouldn't know what 0.001% of 'it' is ...

  • aphexstwin #55 3 years ago

    because of the live fee for predominantly p2p gaming, ALL themes and gamerpics should be free, just as stuff for home should be free.

    as others have said and as retailers are finding out right now, keep your money in your pocket. when things become desperate, watch the prices tumble. shit, i bet even the live fee would take a slashing if people started playing more on the pc or ps3.

  • lucky_jim #56 3 years ago

    Back on-topic, I think the price of DLC is too high, especially as retailers swiftly move boxed games into bargain bins due to the time of year and tight economic conditions. I bought Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts for £15 from a proper shop the other day, brand new and still wrapped in cellophane. How can I then justify spending 1200 Microsoft Points on the original Banjo Kazooie, a ten-year-old N64 game? I'd quite like to have it, but I'm simply not paying that when there are so many great new boxed games being sold cheap.

  • hiddenranbir #57 3 years ago

    PC. Giving you independence.

  • metalangel #58 3 years ago

    Poor old Blow, so flipping hard done by, is given another soapbox to have yet another whinge by idiots who still think he and Braid were the Second Coming. Keep it up, soon the Wikipedia edit that Blow "needs to stfu" will be allowed to stay as it will be factual. ;)

  • unhappymatt1 #59 3 years ago

    It really is unfair for Microsoft to make me pay for their dlc. They should not try to make money like every other company out there. They shouldn't try to pay their expenses with my money. It's so easy to provide their services anyone can do it, why can't they just give us free stuff? Get real people. Microsoft is number one. That's why everyone hates them. The same reason so many around the world hate America, because we're number one. Microsoft, an American world leader in technology. So stop hating.