THE BUZZ: Microsoft has released an update for the U.S. Xbox Live Marketplace, which moves Indie games onto the front panel of the dashboard.

The update comes after concerns that the new dashboard was pushing Indie game even further into obscurity burying them under menus in the marketplace. Microsoft issued the following statement:

“As you’ve now noticed, the Xbox Live Marketplace was updated to change the way games are surfaced to customers.”

“Microsoft is continually working to better organise our digital game content on the platform and your feedback played a part in that.”

“Part of this new organization means that Xbox Live Indie Games now has a tile on the top level of the marketplace right next to Xbox Live Arcade and Xbox Games on Demand.”

“Inside of the new Xbox Live Indie Games section, you’ll notice that there are New Release, Top Download, A-Z, and Genre options, as well as a rotating carousel that shows off Kotaku’s Picks, Contest Finalists, and can be used to house other content as desired.”

“This update is something we are extremely excited about as it really brings Xbox Live Indie Games to a higher level of visibility in the dashboard. We believe these changes will help even more gamers find and experience the great offerings you’ve all developed for Xbox Live Indie Games.”

EGM’s TAKE: Many developers have warned that Xbox Live Indie Games will die out if the publisher continues to push them further from the spotlight. Luckily Microsoft has listened to this advice and has gave the service a much needed visibility boost. Indie games help to find the developers of tomorrow and give a place for budding developers to cut their teeth. If the service disappeared from Xbox Live it may force some to consider a switch to PlayStation 3. This is the last thing that Microsoft would want.