ID@XBOX Not a Reaction to PS4 Indies Says Microsoft

[Michael Epstein]

ID@XBOX Not a Reaction to PS4 Indies Says Microsoft

Microsoft claims they were into helping indies before it was cool.

Microsoft wants everyone to know it always planned to help bring more indie developers to Xbox One, even if it looks like a reaction to Sony's indie push. Xbox indie developer liaison Chris Charla says the ID@XBOX program [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/127013-Xbox-One-Wants-To-Welcome-Indies-With-Its-New-Program], which will provide Unity development tools to indie developers making Xbox One games and allow Microsoft to activate any Xbox One as a debug console "goes all the way back to Xbox One's architecture."

"We've been planning this for a long time," Charla told MCV [http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/xbox-indie-games-can-sell-systems/0121856]. "You can see where this started with 360's indie titles. We haven't even released a system yet, so I'd say it's not a late announcement, it's quite a timely one."

First announced at Gamescom, it's easy to see ID@XBOX as a reaction Sony's aggressive pursuit to bring indie developers to PS4. Despite what fans and pundits may think, Charla insists that an indie-friendly Xbox One was always part of the plan.

"There has certainly been system sellers that have been indie games - Minecraft is a system seller," Charla explained. "Independent developers are hugely important for the entire industry ecosystem. I am massively excited by titles such as Titanfall and Halo. But I am equally excited when I see games like Papers Please, or Gone Home."

"Games can be hugely diverse. When you turn on your Xbox One, you see the broadest, most diverse spectrum of entertainment."

Source: MCV [http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/xbox-indie-games-can-sell-systems/0121856]

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[digital warrior]

And yet you stated that you needed a publisher to put content on your consul before the 180. Sry guys we just wont/cant believe you at this point, the fiasco that was the xbone ruined the little image you had left.

 

[thebobmaster_v1legacy]

"There has certainly been system sellers that have been indie games - Minecraft is a system seller," Charla explained. "Independent developers are hugely important for the entire industry ecosystem. I am massively excited by titles such as Titanfall and Halo. But I am equally excited when I see games like Papers Please, or Gone Home."


Minecraft...a system seller? We are talking about the same Minecraft that was on PCs first, and is also available on Androids, right?

Dear Microsoft: STOP BRINGING UP TITANFALL! Seriously, you hype it up anymore and you'll end up in Daikatana territory. You saw how that ended, right?

 

[shrekfan246]

I'm sorry, but actually saying "ID@XBOX" sounds incredibly silly. Remarkably similar to "idiot Xbox", in fact. I mean, at least tell me Microsoft themselves aren't using the abbreviated form.

And since I'd never even heard of it until today (admittedly I don't follow many gaming news outlets), and Microsoft's previous indie-related policies have been laughable, I'll apologize again if I'm not really all that willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

 

[Callate]

Either Microsoft is lying and this is a reaction to PS4's more indie-friendly policies, or they're telling the truth and they so utterly failed to recognize that indie games would be enough of a selling point for this generation of consoles that they didn't think the matter was worth bringing up when they first started introducing the XBox One to the public. Or even when Game Informer published their big expose about how independent devs were jumping ship from big M.

So the appearance is that they're either lying or that they've completely lost track of the market they're courting, and in either case, they seem to be running a ship with the reactive agility of an iceberg.

 

[weirdee]

"yes this game which has been on pc for years is a system seller"

next they're gonna claim angry birds is a system seller

anyway, still not gonna shell out for a brobox that sometimes has games i might be interested in

 

[CardinalPiggles]

Are their PR team all high? Because they aren't really doing a good job are they.

If Microsoft actually talked about these things instead of blabbering on about TV all the god damn time, then maybe their public image wouldn't be in shambles right now.

It's not hard to believe that they intended to make the system much more indie friendly, but god damn it, talk about it when the god damn spotlight is on you. Why even wait?

 

[RicoADF]

I'm sorry, but actually saying "ID@XBOX" sounds incredibly silly. Remarkably similar to "idiot Xbox", in fact. I mean, at least tell me Microsoft themselves aren't using the abbreviated form.

And since I'd never even heard of it until today (admittedly I don't follow many gaming news outlets), and Microsoft's previous indie-related policies have been laughable, I'll apologize again if I'm not really all that willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Glad to see I'm not the only one to read it as Idiotbox

OT: This may be true M$ but Sony was first out of the gate and have the better system so your claims will fall on uncaring ears.

 

[Zeckt]

Yes, microsoft has been helping indie's before it was cool. With flipping 40,000$ PATCHES and shoving the indie genre into a forgotten corner where you have to sift through pages and pages of adverbs to get to and how the arcade is now a graveyard due to microsoft being a terrible corporate entity to work with by trying to eat any indie developer that so much as looks at them the wrong way.

Oh but if a microsoft rep says they are indie friendly then it MUST BE SO!! Seriously, all microsoft can do to get their hardcore fanbase is lie, lie and lie. Microsoft's other division's are crashing down due to shipping inferior products with more hurdles and higher prices for no reason other then that it's the microsoft name. I can't wait for the combination of their failures to cause the whole entire company to cave in around them.

And I will laugh. I'll never forgive them for the RROD on the 360. Ever.

 

[seditary]

It feels to me that the entire xbox division has just become one big stand up routine.

Its the only thing that makes sense to me now.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

What I hear from this announcement:

"Indies, please make our system cool again! Maybe we'll be able to live down the Xbone name if the next Minecraft is ours! Please!"

With a Steambox coming to the market too... Mayhaps the indies will side with Valve?

I don't know, I'm not a console gamer anymore. I just watch it as it happens.

Spoiler: Munching on this

 

[SeventhSigil]

I'd be more inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt, if it wasn't for an interview with Phil Harrison back in June where he made it clear that there were no specific plans or commitments to self-publishing. =P don't get me wrong, he stated that the company was open to the idea of expanding into something like self-publishing, but there were literally no promises made. So well I can certainly believe that plans for the concept of self-publishing might have been on the table, (meaning they aren't even lying, in saying that they have been planning it for a long time) I do believe that the push that drove them to actually go through with it was indeed reactionary to the approach of their competitors.

 

[Strazdas]

ANd i used to hate microsoft before it was cool. I dont hate them now, no, they are way past that. now im just laughing at everything they do and remain amazed that people still buy their stuff.