XBLA delistings will put focus on quality, argues Microsoft

Microsoft's controversial decision to bump certain games off its Xbox Live Arcade service has generated plenty of discussion, with most pundits wondering why a shelf with infinite space is suddenly in need of clearing. Speaking to MTV Multiplayer, Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Xbox Live product management director, Aaron Greenberg, argued that the move -- which is beginning to sound like a threat aimed at more dubious developers -- would ultimately promote a greater number of quality titles. "What you're going to see [is that] Arcade, in general, is going to focus on quality over quantity," he said. "While you will see [some] titles get delisted, hopefully you won't see many games getting delisted. [You'll see a] higher quality of games that won't fall into that criteria."

Greenberg also sees the cleansing, which "outweighed the cons of expanding the shelf," as a move that will improve the service's appearance to new customers. "They're going to turn on the Xbox and go into Arcade and [see] a much higher quality of selection. You want consumers to get that experience for the first time [and see that] every Arcade game is a high-quality game, so their first purchase is most likely going to be a great game."

We suspect having a clearly marked "rubbish" bin could similarly point new users to the good stuff, but it seems Microsoft would prefer not to have a waste basket standing right in the foyer.