CES: 8 Xbox Live Arcade titles coming 1st quarter '06

We pressed Microsoft for more Xbox Live Arcade details following the announcement that
Street Fighter II Hyper Fighting, Marble Blast Ultra, and a River Belle sponsored Texas Hold 'Em game would be released this year. One Xbox Marketing representative did confirm that all three titles will be available by the end of February, while Chris Early, Studio Manager for MS Casual Games, would only assure us that they will be released by the end of March along with five other unannounced titles–one of which is likely Crystal Quest.

One interesting detail is that the Texas Hold 'Em title will be sponsored by the online casino,
River Belle, for a limited time. While the sponsorship is in affect, users will be able to download the game for free–and it will stay free once the sponsorship expires. Early commented that this sponsorship deal was a rare opportunity, and admitted that 360 owners should not expect this to be commonplace during the release of future titles.