Microsoft is finally taking action against spam game bundles that have been clogging up the Xbox Store. The company is cracking down on developers who have been using a shady tactic to flood the store with multiple, slightly different versions of the same game in bundles.
The new policy means developers who create bundles of the same game to try to “maximize digital shelf space” violate the Developer Code of Conduct. This is a major change, and it seems to be in response to a ton of complaints from both developers and customers. I go into the store all the time to see what’s new, and bundle abuse was pretty clear.
I’ve seenAssassin’s Creed ValhallaandWatch Dogs: Legionbundled in way too many games, even together. This actually got me to buy the games, though, so the tactic does work.
There is also an issue where a lot of games that have easier achievements get released for low prices in bundles. This is seen as a way of getting easy Gamerscore, since the developers decide what achievements a game has. These bundles often include three versions of the same game, with one for Xbox Series X|S, one for both Series X|S and Xbox One, and a third for PC. This is a tactic that’s mostly used by developers who release games with super-easy achievements, which some see as selling Gamerscore directly to players.
Xbox Series X
The Series X is the most powerful current-generation console and offers access to Microsoft Game Pass for a large library of subscription games out of the box. It also doubles as a UHD Blu-Ray player!
According to an email sent to developers found byTrue Achievements, Microsoft has determined that these bundles are confusing players and are an attempt to manipulate search results. The company is no longer allowing bundles that contain different platform SKUs of the same game unless there’s a “meaningful differentiation” between them.
Meaningful differentiation basically means a bundle can’t just be the Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S versions of the same game without any other changes. A good example of a meaningful difference would be something like a Standard, Deluxe, or Ultimate edition that offers unique content. I don’t imagine many people would buy both the standard and deluxe edition of a game at full price, so that most likely won’t be featured in bundles.
The only issue here is that a difference can also be made in frame rate or resolution, but it has to be “notable.” The email also states that having a single product with similar bundles taking up an excessive number of slots is not allowed. While this doesn’t completely solve the problem of easy Gamerscore games, it’s a huge step in the right direction. It should, at the very least, clear up a lot of the clutter in the store.
Microsoft also mentioned in the email that developers who want to release multiple versions of the same game across different platforms should consider using Smart Delivery and Xbox Play Anywhere. This is basically a way to buy a game in one version and get it in every version it comes in for Xbox consoles. This is likely a way to fight achievement stacks, which is when you can get separate achievements for the same game on different platforms. It’s about time because I like window shopping, but there is just too much clutter featuring the same games on the Xbox store.
