Before they can be sold, however, all games must first pass a peer-review exam to ensure they are of suitable quality. Once approved, creators can set the price of their game between 200 and 800 Microsoft Points, or $2.50 and $10 USD, of which Microsoft takes 30 percent. [50 MB games for 200 Microsoft Points, larger 150 MB games for either 400 or 800 Microsoft Points]
While a game developer will only earn $1.75 from a $2.50 download, the potential sales figures are quite large. Last year, the Ace Combat 6 demo, for example, was downloaded half a million times; comparable downloads at even the lowest price would net the developer $875,000.