Microsoft officially increases XBLA size limit

We knew the previous 50MB limit was being broken with Castlevania, but now Microsoft has made it official: Every game on XBLA can go up to 150MB. From GamesIndustry:

The size limit for games distributed using Microsoft’s popular Xbox Live Arcade service is to be tripled to 150MB, effective immediately – with the firm launching a new 512MB memory unit for the Xbox 360 to allow Core System owners to take advantage of the new games.

Previously, all software distributed on Xbox Live Arcade had to fit inside a 50MB file – which also meant that all software was compatible with the Xbox 360 Core System, which uses 64MB memory cards for data storage rather than the much larger hard drive in the “full” Xbox 360 system.

Now developers will be free to develop games up to a size limit of 150MB – a size which hits a sweet spot between giving flexibility to developers and maintaining accessibility for consumers, according to Xbox Live Arcade product manager Chris Early.

This is a very good thing, people. Some of us have always felt that the 50MB limit was too restrictive for XBLA — limiting features and quality, etc. If they’re increasing the size of XBLA now, though, what do you suppose they’ll increase next? Hmmmm … we keep secrets. 

Oh, and by the way, I guess Luke was a bit off.