Microsoft removes fee to patch Xbox 360 games

Microsoft has removed the fee associated with Xbox 360 title updates, according to a report from Eurogamer. Instead of granting a one-time free-of-charge update, developers may now submit subsequent updates for free. However, Microsoft reserves the right to issue a charge if a developer is deemed to "be making an excessive number of re-submissions due to an update failing certification."

The change in policy apparently applies to both digital XBLA games as well as full retail games. No doubt this is a major win for smaller developers like Phil Fish, an independent developer who contended that he couldn't afford to pay a second time for certification to fix an issue with corrupting some save files (a result of the first patch).

While free patches are a step in the right direction for Microsoft, it's not the main issue indies like Fish have with the company; it's Microsoft's requirement that a developer have a publisher that Fish has a problem with.

Read more about Xbox 360 patch fees at GameZone >