Microsoft Reveals First Wave of ID@XBOX Developers

[Michael Epstein]

Microsoft Reveals First Wave of ID@XBOX Developers

Xbox One self-publishing initiative brings in games from well known indie studios, including Capy, Double Fine and Vlambeer.

Worried that Xbox One wasn't going to get any of those cool indies coming to PS4? Well it looks like they're going to get a few themselves. Microsoft announced the first wave of developers participating in ID@XBOX, the Xbox One's self-publishing program, on Xbox Wire [http://news.xbox.com/2013/12/xbox-one-developers-id-at-xbox].

First announced earlier this year at Gamescom, ID@XBOX has been met wearily by critics who contend the program may be Microsoft's reaction to Sony's emphasis on bringing small publishers to the PS4. As part of the program, Microsoft has said team involved with the program will receive publishing support, cloud services and Unity developer tools [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/128274-ID-XBOX-Not-a-Reaction-to-PS4-Indies-Says-Microsoft], among other things.

The full list of developers Microsoft showed announced today is "far from comprehensive," according to ID@XBOX director Chris Chala. Chala wrote that developers in 50 countries have signed up for the program. In addition to the popular indie names you might expect on such a list, like Capy and Double Fine, the current list features teams better known on mobile like Ridiculous Fishing developer Vlambeer, teams working on Kickstarter-supported projects Zeboyd Games, and even Crytek, who's already released a AAA Xbox One title.

Here's the full list of developers ID@XBOX developers announced today, as well as any titles they've confirmed will be coming to Xbox One as part of the program:

Behaviour Interactive
Bongfish
Born Ready
Capy
Comcept
Crytek
Definition 6
Demiurge - Shoot Many Robots
Double Fine
Drinkbox
Gaijin Games
Happion Labs - Energy Hook
Hidden Path Entertainment
High Voltage Software
Inis
Iron Galaxy - Divekick
The Men Who Wear Many Hats
Nicalis
Ninja Bee
The Odd Gentlemen
Other Ocean
Panic Button
Slightly Mad Studio
Team 17
Team Colorblind
Vlambeer
Way Forward
Zeboyd Games - Cosmic Star Heroine
Zen Studios

Source: Xbox Wire [http://news.xbox.com/2013/12/xbox-one-developers-id-at-xbox]

Permalink

 

[Ed130 The Vanguard]

So I guess only 29 developers passed Microsoft's "rigorous qualification process". I wonder how many actually applied. Did Microsoft just have an extremely low approval rating, or did very few developers bother to apply?

I'm thinking not many applied, in terms of Kickstarter projects a port to the Ouya is mentioned as a stretch goal more often than the Xbone/360.

 

[mKeRix]

So I guess only 29 developers passed Microsoft's "rigorous qualification process". I wonder how many actually applied. Did Microsoft just have an extremely low approval rating, or did very few developers bother to apply?

Lots of people applied. WPCentral had a big thread of applicants somewhere in their forums I think. Why wouldn't they apply, they are granted a free dev kit upgrade and a free Unity Pro license for the XBox one, that's a hell lot of value. And apart from that, they'd get to develop for a very successful platform. There are no entry fees as far as we know and these companies all made very good games to date.
The Escapist forums just seem to try to hate everything Microsoft does sometimes.

 

[mKeRix]

Lots of people applied. WPCentral had a big thread of applicants somewhere in their forums I think.

Good info! Thanks!

Can't say it supports Microsoft's claim that the XB1 is geared towards indie developers if they've only picked 29.

I mean, sure, I thought Dive Kick was incredibly innovative and had a novel concept, but if that's what they've picked to be showcased on the next-generation console...

You can look it up yourself if you want to, but you can easily guess that people applied, it's a lucrative program after all.
It's the first wave of people being let onto the new console about 2 weeks after the launch, I'd rather see them taking careful steps forward instead of just boasting out with an unfinished and unrefined program for indies. It will come along eventually. Steam only picks around 15 greenlit games at a time as well for example.
And what do you want to showcase on a next gen console indie-wise then? Indies don't have the resources to make games with AAA graphics to use the potential. I like Microsoft's approach of pushing for diversity, even if the games are things we've seen on mobile phones.

 

[mKeRix]

You can look it up yourself if you want to, but you can easily guess that people applied, it's a lucrative program after all.

Been trying to find it on the WPCentral site and in their forums since I posted my last reply. No luck so far.

Quick Google search gave me this result: http://www.examiner.com/article/microsoft-xbox-one-indie-dev-initiative-has-several-hundred-applicants
If I find the time later I'll try to find the WPCentral thread again as well.

 

[Toadfish1]

Good to see that Microsoft is doing what it can to give an avenue to the scrappy, underfunded indie team, Crytek.

 

[ironsaber2]

Lots of people applied. WPCentral had a big thread of applicants somewhere in their forums I think.

Good info! Thanks!

Can't say it supports Microsoft's claim that the XB1 is geared towards indie developers if they've only picked 29.

I mean, sure, I thought Dive Kick was incredibly innovative and had a novel concept, but if that's what they've picked to be showcased on the next-generation console...

that is for the first wave or just that program, the big picture is for eventually everyone getting to use their xbox as a dev kit but ms has alot on their plate right now like bringing the one to were it needs to be software wise not the clearly rushed version that it is right now.

 

[mKeRix]

Quick Google search gave me this result: http://www.examiner.com/article/microsoft-xbox-one-indie-dev-initiative-has-several-hundred-applicants
If I find the time later I'll try to find the WPCentral thread again as well.

Cool, thanks! I was limiting my search to the WPCentral site. No worries on finding the forum thread.

"We?ve gotten back to several hundred developers over the last few days and we?re continuing to do that," Charla told EDGE Online while answering a question about how many independent games the Xbox One will see after it launches on Nov. 22.

So 29 approved out of "several hundred". That's somewhere below a 10% approval rate so far.

Reason I'm pointing this out is that Microsoft has portrayed themselves as being inviting to indie developers. But if they're picking-and-choosing from well-established studios, then they're not being very supportive to the new, small, relatively-unknown, or one-person developer that wants to get in on the ground floor of a new console where they're more likely to get recognition. And that's also inline with them retaining dedicated dev kits instead of unlocking the retail consoles to developers like they'd advertised.

So Microsoft is allowing large and medium developers in, but they're leaving out "several hundred" smaller, relatively-unknown developers.

Fair enough, so far they only accepted bigger companies indeed. But yeah, as I said, it's only the first wave that will be used for testing purposes. Now, for the future we can only hope and see more or less, but if we assume that everything goes like Microsoft is currently announcing it on their info pages, they're slowly working their way to making ID@XBox to a program similar to the Windows Phone Marketplace or the Apple app store, where everyone can create an app/game and submit it and it goes through certification. We'll see how that turns out, but I'm rather positive that they will open up the APIs as time goes by. That would also fit into their scheme of unifying their 3 OS, which would mean that you could use Windows 8 apps on the XBox for example.
So in the end, for now they only accept bigger indies instead of giving the small ones some space to develop in, but I'm still confident that will change once they are sure the program works the way it should. The applications are still open and none have been specifically declined yet.

(Also, sorry for the very negative vibe of my first post in this thread, read another thread in these forums right before posting here and the almost circlejerk there kind of set me off a bit.)

 

[RicoADF]

Why is it every time I see ID@XBOX I see it as idiot box?

OT: Meh, you guys failed so hard last gen I'm surprised anyone will deal with you, only a fool would risk dealing with them if the stories are true.

 

[Agayek]

Why is it every time I see ID@XBOX I see it as idiot box?

I do the same thing. I'm kinda curious whose bright idea it was to give this program a name that's half a stutter away from having "idiot" in the title.

 

[Andy Shandy]

A decent mix of developers there, and as an Xbox One owner, I'm definitely interested to see what a lot of them bring to the console.

 

[mistwolf]

Why is it every time I see ID@XBOX I see it as idiot box?

OT: Meh, you guys failed so hard last gen I'm surprised anyone will deal with you, only a fool would risk dealing with them if the stories are true.

THANK you. I was going to say the same thing. It reminds me of an id 10 t error. And after the whole Xbone naming thing, you'd think they would have thought of such things.

ASs for acceptance rate and such, of course the first ones through will be bigger, established indie companies. They are more likely to actually succeed and need less scrutiny. The less known, smaller, more indie indie studios will need much closer looking at to make sure they are going to produce. Two dev consoles and a unity license is not cheap, they aren't going to just give them to everyone who asks.

Capcha: Level playing field. As if.

 

[infinity_turtles]

So friendly to indie devs.

Good to see that Microsoft is doing what it can to give an avenue to the scrappy, underfunded indie team, Crytek.

I was drinking when I read that. Do you know how much it hurts to have rum shoot out your nose? Do you?!