Why some 360 games can't be made BC for Xbox One (an FYI)

Hi,

After reading quite a few forum posts regarding bringing such and such Xbox 360 (or even original Xbox) game to the Xbox One
as a backwards compatible title, I thought I would create this thread.

Asking for certain games to be made BC is all fine, I can understand users wanting to play old games again, heck, I'm 40 years
old and I still play games that date back to the early 1980's!

But, there's a problem, some of your cherished games can never be made BC, and some could be made BC, but they would have to
be modified to remove elements where they, i.e. the publisher, no longer holds the rights (the 'license').

Since Microsoft do not modify any game code during the re-packing of BC games, removing unlicensed content can’t be done.

Take the FIFA games for example.
Now EA exclusively holds the FIFA license, so, you would assume that all the old FIFA games for the 360 could be made BC, right?
Well, no, you’re wrong. Yes EA has the FIFA license, but, they also purchase temporary licenses for the in game music.
This music is composed of mainstream bands and artists which EA has to pay the music companies to use their tracks in EA’s FIFA games.
Problem is, the music licenses are temporary, once they expire; they also expire for the game.
This likely why there are no FIFA games available to buy digitally for the Xbox 360 before FIFA 2015. Go check out on a search on Xbox.com.
Games with a price can be purchased digitally, games with no price have been de-listed.

Wonder why Outrun Arcade was delisted from Xbox Live on the Xbox 360?
Simple, Sega held a temporary license from Ferrari for the in game cars.
Sega did not renew this license, hence the game was removed from sale on all platforms.

Film licenses are the most vulnerable to license expiry. For example, there have been a number of threads asking for Scarface – The World is Yours to be made BC, this just can’t
happen. The game is based off the movie, the publisher would have had a legal agreement to use the license for the game, but only for a set amount of time.
Unless the publisher re-news this license, it can’t be re-sold or made available again online.
It’s as simple as that.

So why not just ‘renew the license’ I hear you cry?
These licenses cost money, we’re talking literally millions.
No publisher is going to renew a license, just so you can pop your old disc in your Xbox One and download the BC version for free.

:)

 

Adding More Games From Original Xbox

 

Adding More Games From Original Xbox

Doesn't matter how many votes they get though, some of those games just can't be made BC purely for licensing reasons. You can forget the 007 James Bond games, EA no longer have the James Bond License. The Godfather, Scarface and Spiderman are also based
on a Movie license which have now all expired too.

Just an FYI

 

Very well done. Great explanation.

 

Yup great work!

should be a sticky post

 

Thanks,



I will look into making this a sticky.

 

This makes perfect sense and needed to be said. I have also seen (been apart of) BC discussions on games from developers that are no longer in business. This will also prevent the game from ever being BC.