The Arcade concept all started off on the original Xbox and had a very limited library. If you weren’t aware of this it’s not really surprising considering Microsoft didn’t do a very good job with it so many moons ago. That lacklustre trend continued with the Xbox 360 as Microsoft simply just launched the console and the Xbox Live Arcade with only a handful of titles. You might say they were testing the waters to see what kind of reaction they would get from consumers to see if it was worth diving into. Now these days it’s extremely difficult to get a hold of Arcade sales, but you would have to assume that what Microsoft initially saw from the Arcade was positive enough to keep moving forward.

The initial batch of titles for the Xbox Live Arcade really was nothing too spectacular. Geometry Wars was without a doubt the first big title for the Arcade as it piled up the downloads and popularity. After the launch of the Xbox Live Arcade things got quiet. Very quiet. Things got so quiet it seemed like it was years before a new title would grace the service. No question this was a big mistake on Microsoft’s part, especially when you’ve got hungry consumers ready and willing to shell out cash to purchase new titles from the service. Should they have been more prepared with the service? Absolutely. No question. However, we can give Microsoft a little break considering that no one really had taken a stab at this concept on a console before. If Microsoft over prepared and the service couldn’t hold up then where would they be?

Microsoft has been adamant that the Xbox Live Arcade is key to the success of the Xbox 360. There are those that are very familiar with the service and others that still don’t realize that it even exists. Microsoft should take full blame of that as very little has been done over the years to promote the Xbox Live Arcade. There have been subtle changes made to the service, from making it a little more noticeable on the Xbox 360 dashboard to releasing an Arcade Edition SKU. Heck, Microsoft just held the inaugural Xbox Live Arcade Awards at the 2008 Game Developers Conference. Despite all the efforts that have been made to date the Xbox Live Arcade is still an unknown commodity to the majority. That’s an issue, because Microsoft and those providing for the service are missing out on revenue.

Is there a reason why Microsoft is usually quiet about sales figures for titles on the service?

It’s no secret that Microsoft has had a difficult time promoting the Xbox Live Arcade. Despite the full library of games that the Arcade boasts sales for many titles have been less than stellar, while many good titles have gone unnoticed to the public eye. The Xbox Live Arcade really hasn’t received much praise in recent times, even though Microsoft sees it as an integral cog in the success of the Xbox 360. In recent times the news and talk surrounding the Arcade has put a dark cloud over the online service of the console, and it has really only escalated after the interview the developers from Metanet Software had with the folks over at Gamasutra. If you’re a supporter of the Xbox Live Arcade and read up on the latest news you’re pretty familiar with what Metanet said during the interview. If you’re unaware of what has recently gone on, the developers behind the recent Arcade title N+ basically said the majority of the titles on the Arcade are “shit.”

It didn’t take long before someone in the industry to comment on what Metanet Software said about the Xbox Live Arcade, as Adam Boyes from the Capcom Community Blog gave him two cents on the issue. I’ve had some time to take in what has gone on over the course of the last week or two, and both parties make good points. In some cases, both Metanet Software and Capcom are right. The Xbox Live Arcade may have its strengths, but it certainly has its weaknesses as well. To some, and in the case of Metanet, the Xbox Live Arcade weaknesses greatly outweigh the strengths. To others, it’s the complete opposite.