As E3 looms it’s huge pixelated head next week it comes as no surprise that Microsoft is holding its annual pre-E3 press conference for all media to gorge on what the big company has planned for it’s gaming system in the upcoming future. This, naturally, includes all things pertaining to the Xbox, including the oft-forgotten Xbox Live Indie Games channel. But should we, realistically, believe that Microsoft is actually going to bring any news regarding this effort? Realistically, no…

It’s been a long time since Microsoft has said anything official on the matter when speaking of Xbox Live Indie Games. In fact, the last time they made any sort of announcement about the service was back when they decided to change the name from Xbox Live Community Games to Xbox Live Indie Games and that was just about a year ago today. Aside from that, the only thing we’ve got from Microsoft was a UK-based show, called the Independint [sic] Show, that loosely advertises a single game with each episode in dry British humor.

I know it may seem like after a year of no announcements that there must be something that Microsoft is cooking up. I mean, they can’t have just completely let the service go without any sort of upgrades, changes, or otherwise small endeavors to help improve the platform, right? Wrong.

2009-2010 has been a huge year for Microsoft, in fact, it’s been so large that I seriously doubt that any major executive within the Xbox branch has even given the XBLIG channel even a single look. Between the launch of Project Natal, later this year, Microsoft’s yearly releases, the unveiling/release of Windows Phone 7, and even the release of Windows 7, I just can’t even fathom where anybody would have time to make any dramatic changes to the channel. It’s just not realistic.

That said, however, I will leave the window open by a slim margin to allow for something to happen concerning the platform. Not so much in dramatic changes to the channel in code or design, not even a new XNA, but rather in an improved marketing effort.

Microsoft has been notoriously quiet about marketing the indie games channel in any capacity, doing almost nothing here in the States, and only throwing it’s weight behind a single, independently produced show in the UK. With this kind of treatment, Microsoft has shown that the XBLIG channel is neither important, nor a monetary benefit to them. But, after almost two years, that could possibly change.

Indie gaming is only getting bigger as time goes on. As the mainstream industry looks to capitalize as much as possible on large games and consecutive sequels, Microsoft included, the indie gaming market provides a true creative outlet into unique games that haven’t been done before. Even Activision is getting in on the game offering a competition to indie developers worth a combined $500,000.

So where am I getting at with all this? Simple, as Microsoft trims its internally developed titles and relies on fewer and fewer as the years go on, they’ll due themselves well by investing a little more into the future developers of the world and the games they produce. Remember, Microsoft gets a nice slice of every game that is sold through XBLIG, if they are able to further increase sales by using an effective marketing plan or by highlighting key games, then they’ll be winning on two fronts: they’ll get more money and they’ll be able to have a first look at the upcoming developers of the world who could be a valuable resource for Microsoft in the future.

Of course, I’d still say that there is still a slim margin that this will actually happen. No offense to Microsoft, but I just don’t see them as forward thinking as this, despite the channel itself being very forward thinking.

Prove me wrong, Microsoft. I’d love that.