When Xbox Live Arcade first launched, Microsoft has set rules for developers for video game downloads not to exceed 50MB of data. Passing this limit would put the game unfit for sale in the library of arcade games. Later on, the size limit was increased to 150MB to accommodate for the smash hit Braid and later increased to 1GB for Shadow Complex’s release and now 2GB for Command & Conquer 3 Commander Challenge Pack. Scott Austin, director of digital games at Microsoft states, “2GB is the limit now, but that isn’t due to any restrictions imposed by Microsoft. The 2GB limit is a technical limitation of the system being used. Games on Demand, a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace where you can buy full retail games to download, uses a different file structure and so that limitation does not exist.” With the onset of high profile games in digital distribution, will the limit for XBLA be eventually lifted?
2GB is a technical limitation? Shit… that’s less than FAT32!