How About Some Gamerscore With That Expansion Pack?

Oblivion fans take note: the Xbox community team has clarified the publisher rules for gamerscore distribution.  Bethesda's new Shivering Isles expansion pack could unlock 250 extra points for your trouble.  The information posted at gamerscoreblog.com does not deal with any specific games, but it makes clear that the additional points are possible.  And you thought 1250 Oblivion points was only a crazy dream?

The post also explains that titles that shipped with less than 1,000 points unlockable through the main game can reach the required number through downloadable content, but only if the content is free.  This should allay any concerns about pricey fish downloads or a points for cash scheme that would make even EA blush.

The new commandments of achievement points will not address all previous inconsistencies, but should be the hard and fast rules (if there are such things in gaming) going forward.  Here, for your pleasure, are the rules:

1.  All regular disc-based games MUST have 1,000 Gamerscore in the base game.  This means that any consumer who buys a retail game will have the opportunity to unlock the full 1,000 Gamerscore without having to pay for any add-on content.  Note that a publisher may decide to deliver a portion of this Gamerscore via add-on content, but the add-on content will always be free to the consumer.

2.  Game publishers will have the option to deliver another 250 incremental Gamerscore on top of the 1,000 via add-on content from Marketplace.  This add-on content could be either free or paid.  So if you complete a game and earn the full 1,000 GS, you could by getting new add-on content earn up to a total of 1,250 points from a game.

3.  Xbox Live Arcade games will operate in similar fashion, but given the size of these titles they will allow you to earn up to 200 Gamerscore from every game and up to another 50 points from add-on content.