At E3, Microsoft announced that this would be the “Summer of Arcade,” launching a five-week campaign to provide higher quality games on their Xbox Live service.  So how did it go?  Well, we know the games were good: Castle Crashers, Braid and Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 are all top-flight original titles, while Galaga Legions and Bionic Commando: Rearmed reinvigorated older titles with new visuals and features.  But how did things work out for Microsoft?  According to their recent press release, pretty damn good.  According to the release, Xbox Live Arcade experienced a 58% increase in unique users downloading titles, and the month of August proved to be the most profitable month in the service’s existence, marking a 67% increase over the previous best.  In addition to the financial windfall, XBLA also increased their critical credibility, with Braid quickly becoming the service’s all-time highest rated title, and Bionic Commando: Rearmed and Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 also joining the top ten.  

So what’s next for the service?  Well, Duke Nukem 3D was just released on Wednesday, and R-Type Dimensions, a South Park game, and the eagerly anticipated Portal: Still Alive are all launching in the next few months.  It’s certainly not as strong a lineup as the Summer slate of games, but then again, who thought that Braid would be as good as it is?  

Press release follows:

The Numbers are in: August was a Scorcher for Xbox LIVE Arcade

Sure, we are coming off a long, hot summer, but it was Xbox LIVE Arcade that really made things sizzle. Critics agree: With the season’s best games released over the span of five weeks, the Summer of Arcade brought new players to the Xbox LIVE Arcade service in record pace. “Castle Crashers” “Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2,” “Bionic Commando: Rearmed,” “Galaga Legions,” and “Braid” delighted gamers of all pedigrees and drove the most successful season on record for the downloadable games service.

Over the course of the five-week Summer of Arcade program there was a 58 percent increase in unique members purchasing titles, and August broke the monthly revenue high by 67 percent. August was also the first time that an Xbox LIVE Arcade game landed in the top 3 most-viewed pages on Xbox.com. The reason for all of this success? The games were really good.

“Castle Crashers,” an adventure title that came to the service on Aug. 27, currently sits at the No. 1 spot for the Top 10 Xbox LIVE Arcade games being played on the service today. In fact, it is being called a stand-out title for all of Xbox LIVE Arcade. “Braid,” a puzzle-platformer released on Aug. 6 quickly climbed the charts to become the No. 1 highest-rated game of all time on Xbox LIVE Arcade. “Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2” and “Bionic Commando: Rearmed” also have spots in the Top 10!

“At E3, we committed to re-focusing the Xbox LIVE Arcade business, vowing to release bigger and better games while focusing on quality and not quantity,” said Marc Whitten, general manager of Xbox LIVE. “The debut of the new strategy proved to be a huge success, with the Summer of Arcade making August the highest grossing month to date. But the focus on quality games doesn’t stop with the Summer of Arcade. We have plenty more great titles coming out in the next few months and beyond that we think will continue to fuel this incredible momentum.”

The service is geared up to continue on the record-breaking path with even more blockbuster titles, like “Portal: Still Alive,” “South Park” and “R-Type Dimensions,” slated to hit Xbox LIVE Arcade in the coming months.

Related Articles:

Review - Braid – Xbox Live Arcade 

Review - Castle Crashers – Xbox Live Arcade

Review - Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 - Xbox Live Arcade