Indie Developer: 'Evil' Is Undeserved Compliment For Microsoft

[Smooth Operator]

Well thank god you woke up and actually told the story, because on the cusp of Xbox1 even more people will be locked into their exclusivity deals knowing nothing what is down that rabbit hole.

I do still wonder how anyone in their right mind believed Surface and W8 would be a big thing...

 

[zalithar]

You know, this summed it up correct.
A truly evil corporation would have made the XboxOne with No Always Online requirement, no Kinect requirement, and no Used Game limitations. Then, when there is 8 million copies in the home, THEN they start "patching in" requirements for Always Online, Used Games, and Kinect requirements. Now, you're forced to shell out another $400 for a PS4 to get off of the requirements that the Xbone introduced in a patch.

Dude Microsoft is only patching around the DRM not removing it. They could add it back in using a single patch. Who's to say they aren't stupid and evil? Not to mention the serious possibility that the day one patch could make the console unstable and prone to bricking.

 

[ObsidianJones_v1legacy]

If Microsoft wasn't paying them on time, couldn't they just delay or stop production altogether until they get paid? That's pretty much what happens everywhere else.

Compounding to what others have already said is the dreaded 'word of mouth' scenario. If you're indie, even if you have Microsoft's backing, what you're selling is your livelihood. It's your name, it's your future sales of other titles. Even though Microsoft created the burden for Pfeifer by spreading the ip thin, few people really care. They just want the game they bought to work.

And as we've seen with Microsoft, Mass Effect 3, Denis Dyack and others.. bad vocal press will change people's opinions (and purchasing desires) drastically. Pfeifer needed the games to work to continue his development life. He needed to focus time that he could be do other things to earn money to eat and keep things working. Without the pay from Microsoft, to keep his dream of being a game developer alive, that loan was essential.

 

[CardinalPiggles]

"Woe is us, we were mistreated".

"Oh and FYI, our game is coming out"

<__>

 

[Ed130 The Vanguard]

With all these horror stories coming out are there any indie devs working exclusively for the Xbone?

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

The thing that most shocked me about this is learning that there is such a thing as a Windows 8 exclusive game. I figured they'd be saving that for a new Gears, Halo, or Fable in a desperate attempt to get people to upgrade -- like they did with Halo 2.