Microsoft has reportedly dropped the substantial fee it charges for re-certification of Xbox 360 games following title updates, according to Eurogamer's "multiple development sources". The quiet change to policy occurred earlier this year, and significantly benefits indie developers who were often stung by the fee, reported to be around $40,000 per patch.

The new process for Xbox 360 game certification involves Microsoft charging an initial fee to certify the game, followed by free re-certification for all future title updates. Previously Microsoft granted just one free title update per game, with all other patches including the fee; a process designed to encourage developers to polish their games to the best of their ability before submitting them for review.

However, the new rules allegedly include something along the lines of a 'fair use policy', whereby Microsoft will still charge developers if they're deemed to be making an excessive amount of patch submissions. At this stage it's unclear if the same policy of free game title update certification will carry over to the Xbox One, but it's at least a step in the right direction for supporting independent developers.