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Xbox Guidelines
Xbox Guidelines
This article outlines a complete set of guidelines in order for your game to be well-received and be an amazing user experience on the Xbox platform.
Launch Guidelines
The launch guidelines below should be used as a checklist to ensure your game has a smooth release on the Xbox platform. They should be followed to minimize the risk of your game being removed from Xbox.
| Guideline | Passed? |
|---|---|
| No blood / gore | |
| No intense violence | |
| No profanity / offensive language | |
| No gambling of any kind (or encouragement thereof) | |
| No alcohol / tobacco / drug reference or usage | |
| No in-game messaging (text chat) |
Featured Game Guidelines
Getting your game featured is one of the best ways to get noticed and increase your player base on the Xbox platform. Following these guidelines is required for your game to be featured on Xbox.
| Guideline | Passed? |
|---|---|
| Content | |
| No alcohol / tobacco / drug references or usage | |
| No nudity / sexual / provocative references | |
| No blood / gore | |
| No profanity / offensive language | |
| No discrimination (or encouragement thereof) | |
| No gambling of any kind (or encouragement thereof) | |
| No excessive frights or realistic depictions of fear | |
| No content that is likely to offend a group of users (religions / cultures / races / communities of people) | |
| No references to acts of any the above (references to acts of violence, acts of discrimination, etc.) | |
| No unlicensed copy-written material (images, audio, text or speech without explicit permission from owner) | |
| Audio | |
| Explicit and licensed permission to use all in-game music (provide evidence with link to music library) | |
| Explicit and licensed permission to use all in-game sound effects (provide evidence with link to sound effect library) | |
| Sound effects and music do not instill feelings of intense fear in young children | |
| Sound effects and music are not crude enough to be inappropriate for young children | |
| Input | |
| Game controls remain responsive unless game is loading | |
| Loading states are clearly communicated to the player | |
| Game controls are explained within the game and not the game's description | |
| Game controls are explained in Xbox-specific terminology | |
| Gameplay Experience | |
| Core game loop only ends at player's request or when game reaches an intended fail state | |
| Game loop never halts with no opportunity to progress | |
| Game Configurations | |
| Game is "Active" | |
| Game does not limit access to "Friends Only" | |
| Game is not "Paid Access" | |
| Game does not use platform-specific data stores | |
| Game does not have an Xbox-specific version (a separate version of the same game available on other platforms) | |
| Game Title | |
| No messaging regarding "Alpha/Beta/Testing" status | |
| Version number (if present) is greater than or equal to 1.0 | |
| Game Description | |
| First paragraph is stand-alone and adequately summarizes the game | |
| No instructional or tutorial content | |
| No requests for favorites or thumbs up | |
| No links | |
| Game Icon | |
| 512×512 pixels in size | |
| Clear from 10 feet away on an HDTV | |
| Game Thumbnails | |
| Game has at least 3 thumbnails | |
| Every thumbnail is 768×432 pixels in size | |
| Every thumbnail is clear from 10 feet away on an HDTV | |
| Badges | |
| Majority of badge descriptions clearly describe how they are obtained | |
| In-Game Interface | |
| Clear from 10 feet away on an HDTV | |
| Only references Xbox One controls (no references to keyboard, mouse, touch) | |
| Only one interactive menu visible at any given time | |
| Menus and screens do not generally overlap | |
| Menus communicate contents and button actions clearly, without unnecessary duplication | |
| B button is almost always used to close a menu | |
| Menus do not have multiple close buttons | |
| Controller dot isn't present unless necessitated by gameplay | |
| Purchase Experience | |
| Displayed purchase prices are legible and correct | |
| Purchasing prices are not misleading and don't allow players to make obvious purchasing mistakes | |
| Purchased items operate as advertised with their function and control fully explained | |
| Purchases are granted / activated / usable immediately after purchase | |
Best Practices
| Practice | Reason to Follow |
|---|---|
| Game Title | |
| No symbols | Symbols can cause confusion for players and detract from the meaning of your game title |
| Badges | |
| Game has either 0 or 4+ badges | The "Badges" section is hidden on the game details screen if you have less than 4 badges |