Report: Former XBLA Manager Calls 'Bulls--t' on Long Tail

David Edery, a former manager of Xbox Live Arcade, had some harsh words about the "Long Tail," the business theory of niche marketplaces put forth by Wired magazine editor Chris Anderson, at the UK's Develop Conference on Tuesday, reports Gamasutra.

As for the idea that the long tail will signal the end of hit-driven business? "Bullshit," Edery said. In fact, he asserted hits are what drives the long Tail -- for example, Edery said 75 percent of Amazon’s income derives from just 2.7 percent of its products. "If the hits went away," he argued, "Amazon would collapse in an instant."

While Edery's keynote address at the conference also contains much praise for the benefits of digital distribution, his point seems to have been that it is hardly a panacea for developers' troubles. The full summary of his remarks is an interesting read if you want another perspective on this issue, especially his later points about "long tail enablers" and multiplayer gaming being ultimately incompatible with Long Tail economics.

Related: WAToday reports that some indie developers are expressing concerns about being "locked out" of XBLA due to concerns about there being "too much content" on the service. I feel like we've been over this before.

Why the Long Tail Disappoints [Gamasutra]