Xbox 360 Title Update

[Theodor Urena]

XboxRequirements (XRs) consist of the policies, technical requirements, and product component-related requirements to which all developers and publishers of Xbox console titles must conform. XRs ensure that products created for Xbox consoles are not only stable and reliable but also provide a user experience that is consistent, safe, secure, and enjoyable.

10.4.2

Apps must continue to run and remain responsive to user input.

Apps must shut down gracefully and not close unexpectedly.

The app must handle exceptions raised by any of the managed or native system APIs and remain responsive to user input after the exception is handled.

Functionally Complete and Testable: The title submission must include all client code, submission artifacts, and downloadable content. Partner services must be available and properly configured for testing and certification. Titles must package cleanly with no failures using the current version of Submission Validator when submitted to Microsoft, and they must include Submission Validator logs with their submission.

Xbox One games not using Smart Delivery will function by default on Xbox Series XS in compatibility mode. Beginning 10/15/20, games submitted to certification must work properly when running in compatibility mode on Xbox Series XS. More information is available on ensuring games work correctly in compatibility mode is available here.

Titles must be compliant with Microsoft Store policy regarding Store metadata and assets. Titles submitted to the Microsoft Store must have the metadata localized. The following Windows policies apply to this Xbox Requirement:

All aspects of your app should accurately describe the functions, features and any important limitations of your app, including required or supported input devices. Your app may not use a name or icon similar to that of other apps, and may not claim to be from a company, government body, or other entity if you do not have permission to make that representation.

Titles can, at their discretion, sync game progress, virtual currency wallets and in-game items (including those unlocked with virtual currency) across gaming platforms and networks. As part of user progress, a title can provide holistic statistic values including unlock of achievements as long as those achievements do not require play using another platform.

Digital Content or PDLC (such as a map pack or any content that provides additional gameplay) which are sold in the Microsoft Store AND across other platform stores, may not be shared/roamed across gaming networks. However, for clarity and at the title's discretion, a bundle of in-game items (such as Virtual Currency or items unlocked with VC) that are sold through the Microsoft Store and are managed by the title, may be shared/roamed across gaming networks.

Titles can, at their discretion, enable synchronous or asynchronous cross-network gameplay among Xbox network users and users of non-Xbox gaming networks with the following restrictions on Xbox consoles:

Titles must ensure that Game DVR and screenshots work properly across display modes and types. Titles that display in HDR do this by rendering both the SDR and HDR swap chains, because the SDR swap chain is used for SDR screenshots, broadcasting, and Game DVR.

Titles must gracefully handle errors with Xbox and partner services connectivity. Titles must honor the retry policies set by Xbox when attempting to retry a request to the Xbox service after a failure has occurred. Titles must appropriately manage messaging the user when services are unavailable. If a partner service is not available, the game must not indicate that there is an issue with the Xbox network. Titles must not crash or hang if network services are slowed or intermittently available.

Titles which exceed title and user based limits when calling Xbox network services or do not adhere to Xbox network service retry policies may be subjected to rate limiting, which may result in service interruption or deprecation. Failure to adhere to the specified limits may block a title from release, and in-production issues with released titles may result in Xbox network services suspension up to and including title removal.

Titles must be compliant with Windows Store policy regarding App Security. Xbox also recommends that exclusive OS games use the /GS flag, but this practice is not enforced due to performance implications with some design patterns.

Your app must not jeopardize or compromise user security, or the security or functionality of the device, system, or related systems, and must not have the potential to cause harm to users or any other person.

Your app must not attempt to change or extend the described functionality through any form of dynamic inclusion of code that is in violation of Store Policies. Your app should not, for example, download a remote script and subsequently execute that script in a manner that is not consistent with the described functionality.

Your app may contain fully integrated middleware (such as third-party cross-platform engines and third-party analytics services), but must not deliver or install non-integrated third-party owned or branded apps or modules unless they are delivered as in-app products.

Titles are strongly encouraged to refer to networking best practice recommendations regardless of protocol. For more information on console network security best practices read Communication Security Overview (NDA topic)Authorization required

On Xbox consoles, titles that use partner-hosted services or accounts that require credentials must support all Xbox users and offer to link that account with the user's Microsoft account.Outside of Xbox consoles, titles can choose to allow account linking to support their game experience.

Authentication using the Xbox Secure Token Service (XSTS): XSTS tokens must be used to provide the identity information for authentication when linking the user's publisher account to the user's Microsoft account. For more information about XSTS token authentication see Xbox services authentication for title services.

Gain Consent and Provide Choice: Users must be notified of the account linking of the user's publisher account to the user's Microsoft account. The user must be given the choice to opt-out if linking their accounts. Users must have the ability to de-link accounts.

Accommodate All Users: If a publisher account sign in is required for game features (Single player, multiplayer, cross network gameplay, leader boards), sign in and sign up must support all user types, ages, and regions where the game title is offered and where those features are allowed by local/regional laws irrespective of age rating.

Note: Publishers may implement additional fraud prevention mechanisms such as two factor authentication interrupts when a linked account signs in from a new device for the first time. This behavior is not a violation of this XR.

Titles must not request, store, or transmit any user's personal information (common examples include name, email, address, gender, financial information) outside of information provided by Xbox. Storage and transmission of any player information obtained from Xbox must be done securely. For more information on console network security best practices read Communication Security Overview.

Titles meet this XR by retrieving data from Xbox network services. If the title uses its own services, it must check the user's privacy permissions at the beginning of a session or when a new user joins the session. For user-initiated scenarios outside of sessions, titles meet this requirement by checking privacy prior to displaying the user's data and before performing the action. The following list of privacy settings is available for titles to check:

During the gameplay session, titles which offer communication between Xbox network and non-Xbox network players must offer the ability to mute any non-Xbox network players for the duration of the session.

Titles that support intelligent delivery must handle scenarios gracefully when content that is not currently installed is needed. Titles can accomplish this by calling PackageInstallChunksAsync in the GDK or AddChunkSpecifiersAsync in the XDK when additional content needs to be installed from disc or the Xbox network.

Purchase of add-on content (durable or consumable) must not be required for users to complete any of the main features or content of the base game. Optional content packages must not have dependencies on other optional content packages. That is, a user must not be required to download additional content packages in order to use a content package. Game saves with unique content tied to add-on content must still load on the base game or provide clear messaging explaining why it cannot be loaded.

The requirements in this category specify how purchases are to be made from in-game stores and the Microsoft Store. For policies on pricing, metadata, and offers, see the Xbox Game Store Policy(1. Xbox Store and Digital Distribution, 2. Xbox Store Policy).

For all transactions made using real-world currency initiated on the console for digital content, titles must use the Xbox commerce platform. All purchases must use the Xbox console common purchase UI.

Titles must establish one or more active users to function as the primary user or users in the title, and handle the user or users when resuming from suspended and constrained modes. Titles do this with the GDK by using either the Simplified or Advanced User Model.

The Simplified User Model in the GDK handles default user acquisition on behalf of the title. The title is still responsible to ensure that a controller is assigned to the user and use that controller for game input. If no controller is assigned to the default user, the title should use XUserFindControllerForUserWithUiAsync to engage the system dialog to select a controller and begin accepting input from the player.

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