GDC 08: XBLA Size Limits Stifling Capcom Games?

The Xbox Live Arcade is known for its collection easy pick-up-and-play titles that come in small 150 MB packages. But apparently that size limit is going to have some unfortunate effects on some upcoming games from Capcom. In a recent interview with Ben Judd, producer with Capcom, 1Up learned that the upcoming XBLA version of Bionic Commando: Rearmed — a remake of the NES classic — will actually have lower-res textures than the PSN and PC versions; all due to the size restrictions. A Microsoft rep responded to this information a little later:

“That’s surprising to hear,” says John Schappert, Microsoft’s corporate VP of Xbox Live, Software, and Services, when we asked him about Capcom’s issues later in the day. “Last I checked it was Capcom that had an exception to our file size with Street Fighter II [Hyper Fighting]…. We raised our limit to 150 megs, which seems pretty darn great…. I don’t think it has limited our games in any way. Look at Rez HD. Look at Poker Smash. Look at Undertow. These are very, very, very good games.”

Schappert also added that Microsoft has teams specialized in XBLA development that will fly to different studios to help them with the programming to fit the game within the size limit. He also hopes that Street Fight II Turbo HD Remix doesn’t suffer from the same texture issues (though Capcom has voiced concerns on the size limit with that game as well). Don’t expect them to raise the limit however, as they’re still primarily focused on offering games that can be downloaded and played as quick as possible.

I guess that size limit is pretty stifling to a big developer like Capcom, but I’ve always seen it as kind of a way to help the independent developers actually compete on more even turf. Still, I’m looking forward to the Bionic Commando remake more than the next-gen version, so I hope they get these texture issues resolved somehow.

Via 1Up