"If we'd spent several months [making our game] we’d be less happy," an Xbox 360 Community Games Developer tells former MTV Multiplayer reporter Patrick Klepek. Head over to his piece in Gamasutra to check out some Key Lessons Learned by the Community Games developers who have just discovered how their games have sold -- and are feeling some pain over it.

The excitement around Community Games on Xbox Live, an avenue for indie developers to make money off their games, has softened in recent weeks, causing indie studios working on XBL Arcade to question the program's viability.

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Indie studios who launched titles via Community Games last November don't know how their games are selling; as we reported Tuesday, Microsoft has not released sales data to creators but promised it by March, news that prompted vocal and public responses -- both for and against -- from developers.

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By all accounts, the launch of Microsoft's Community Games initiative alongside the New Xbox Experience last November was a success, but in following months, creators have become upset as sales data remains non-existent and isn't coming until March.

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"Colosseum" is not the best selling Community Game, according to Microsoft's early results released last week, but it was one of the top 5.

It was also the most expensive.

When I met with the developers of "Colosseum," Shortfuse Games, at a San Francisco launch party for Community Games in October, they weren't sure how to price their creation.

I made the argument that pricing low would garner them the requisite fan base for a more expensive second game. They didn't follow my recommendation.

Instead, they priced it at $10. How do they feel that's gone over with gamers?

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