Microsoft's Payments to Xbox Live Indie Games Devs Are Late

[roseofbattle]

Microsoft's Payments to Xbox Live Indie Games Devs Are Late

Developers using Xbox Live Indie Games are still waiting on payments from September 30.

Microsoft acknowledged yesterday its failure to pay developers participating in the Xbox Live Indie Games program on Xbox 360. The company apologized and expects developers will be paid within the coming two weeks. This is not affecting developers in the ID@Xbox program on Xbox One.

According to Microsoft, the delay is due to a "technical issue" in its payment system. Payment to developers in the Xbox Live Indie Games program is due within 45 days of the end of the quarter, according to Freelance Games [https://twitter.com/FreelanceGames/status/537999426925891585], the developer of Trailer Park King.

The third quarter ended September 30, and Microsoft was supposed to deliver payment by November 15. By the time Microsoft now expects developers will receive payment, two and a half months will have passed since the end of the quarter.

However, Microsoft appears to pay Xbox Live Indie Games developers late with some frequency. On November 27 Gamasutra [https://twitter.com/BootdiskRev/status/538134545561026560] late payments are such a common occurrence that some people didn't even notice the payments were late.

Xbox Live Indie Games has faded as a popular choice for developers; however, Microsoft now has its own ID@Xbox program for independent developers seeking to publish on the Xbox One. Xbox Live Indie Games was a self-publishing arm where games would pass a peer review before it could be sold on the Xbox 360.

The Escapist has contacted Microsoft for further comment and will update if we hear more.

Source: ID@Xbox (Twitter) [https://twitter.com/ID_Xbox/status/540275992619532288]


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[Brian Tams]

No wonder indie developers flocked to the PS4. I haven't heard any complaints about late payments from over there.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

You know, I'm honestly not that sympathetic towards Indie devs anymore. I get that not getting paid is disastrous, and good on Microsoft for admitting to fault. And I'm sure most indie devs are at least honest in their attempts to make good indie games, Steam devs excepted of course. But there has been so much bad blood and collateral damage in the past months that every time I see an article like this my first though is its a balancing of karma. The Yang to the Yin that is the indie scene.

 

[TippiestRook]

No wonder indie developers flocked to the PS4. I haven't heard any complaints about late payments from over there.

I see your point but this is for the 360 and I don't think what happened just now affected devs switching a few months back.
"This is not affecting developers in the ID@Xbox program on Xbox One."

 

[Raziel]

So do indi devs get to charge microsoft a late fee on all their payments? God knows every company I have to make payments to charges them.

 

[Janaschi]

You know, I'm honestly not that sympathetic towards Indie devs anymore. I get that not getting paid is disastrous, and good on Microsoft for admitting to fault. And I'm sure most indie devs are at least honest in their attempts to make good indie games, Steam devs excepted of course. But there has been so much bad blood and collateral damage in the past months that every time I see an article like this my first though is its a balancing of karma. The Yang to the Yin that is the indie scene.

Good on them, for admitting it? That almost sounds like a suggestion, in that Microsoft is even the slightest bit justified/exonerated in not paying those that are making them the big bucks through the Indie scene. Profiting off of the hard work of others, and then acting so nonchalant about not returning the monetary favour, is pretty deplorable, and should be considered unjustified in any form.

Everyone has troubles paying sometimes, and even the Escapist has hit snags like that, in which they were unable to pay those working for them. But Microsoft is a 600-pound gorilla, and they have no excuses.

 

[Amaror]

You know, I'm honestly not that sympathetic towards Indie devs anymore. I get that not getting paid is disastrous, and good on Microsoft for admitting to fault. And I'm sure most indie devs are at least honest in their attempts to make good indie games, Steam devs excepted of course. But there has been so much bad blood and collateral damage in the past months that every time I see an article like this my first though is its a balancing of karma. The Yang to the Yin that is the indie scene.

This is a very poisoneus attitude, but i think you know that. Exspecially since it doesn't make sense compared to xbox. Xbox live arcade has at least some quality control so i doubt there are as blatant cash-ins then there are in steam.
That being said that attitude seems more and more common these days and i personally hate the lazy, greedy indie devs double for ruining the indie scene for all the honest, hardworking indies that know how to make a game and keep their promises, but loose sales because other people tried to get some easy cash.
There are also a lot of people screaming about starbound being abandoned when the game is being updated every day, but just to beta-branch in steam.

 

[Something Amyss]

I see your point but this is for the 360 and I don't think what happened just now affected devs switching a few months back.
"This is not affecting developers in the ID@Xbox program on Xbox One."

This isn't the first time there have been issues, though, so I'd imagine prior history does have something to do with it.

 

[RicoADF]

I see your point but this is for the 360 and I don't think what happened just now affected devs switching a few months back.
"This is not affecting developers in the ID@Xbox program on Xbox One."

"Other developers told Gamasutra late payments are such a common occurrence that some people didn't even notice the payments were late."
It sounds like this has been going on for awhile, so it is possible that it's encouraged some indies to go "bugga them" and jump to PSN &/or Steam.

 

[MCerberus]

So do indi devs get to charge microsoft a late fee on all their payments? God knows every company I have to make payments to charges them.

That's not how contract law works.
Contract law works like the following: I have more money therefore I make the rules.

This is the same reason large beer brewers can force suppliers to wait 3 months for payment despite how much of a screw it is. Or how you're beeing driven into forced arbitration in all those agreements.

 

[Revnak_v1legacy]

Tonight's story, Microsoft fucks over independents. Also, the sky, is it too blue? All this and more tonight at 10.

 

[Ticklefist]

Well hopefully being in the news will bring it to someone's attention that can actually get it done.