Machinarium skips XBLA for PSN
MS declined to publish indie game.
Delightfully difficult point-and-click adventure Machinarium has been turned down by Microsoft, and so skipped a potential Xbox Live Arcade release in favour of PlayStation Network.
"They told us, 'It's not Microsoft-exclusive, we don't want it,'" Jakub Dvorský, founder of Machinarium developer Amanita Design, told Joystiq.
"They didn't cite the Mac and Linux versions [as reasons for the refusal] but it's quite clear that's the reason."
"It means if we want to release the game on XBLA we must throw probably most of the profit out of the window to [another] publisher, just because we created Mac and Linux versions."
"We submitted the game to Sony after Microsoft refused it," he added.
Note that Microsoft has not refused Machinarium an XBLA release, simply a Microsoft publishing deal. Also, this policy is not new.
Trials 2: Second Edition already existed on PC and RedLynx had to create a new version (albeit willingly) for Microsoft to publish on Xbox Live Arcade. Similarly, award-winning indie strategy game Darwinia was required to have additional content before Microsoft would publish the game on XBLA. This led to numerous development hold-ups, forcing a later-than-expected February 2010 release. Eurogamer's verdict: a hearty 8/10.
Machinarium was released in autumn last year on PC. Eurogamer's Machinarium review can tell you more.