Microsoft abandoning indie game developers with the Xbox One?

As many another YouTube parody video can tell you, Tuesday's Xbox One reveal was a few heap of things — TV, sports and "Call of Duty" being the most 3. however as gamers and critics began to choose apart the new device, they inevitably began to wonder: What concerning the particular games?

While Sony's PlayStation four announcement in Feb inwas replete with freelance game developers singing the company's praises each on and off the stage, Microsoft's Tuesdayevent featured atiny low variety of sleekly polished, blockbuster franchises like, well, "Call of Duty."

Microsoft emphasised repeatedly that gamers haven't detected the last word on all of the games returning to the Xbox One. Indeed, the corporate has already secure some fifteen exclusive titles for the console's 1st year on the market. (Neither convenience or rating was shared Tuesday, though the corporate same Xbox One are out later this year.) however whereas Microsoft is also doing its best to bring powerhouse studios the planet over into its developer stable, the corporate might not be wanting as kindly on freelance game developers.

When a newsperson from the school web site Shack News asked Matt swag, top dog of Redmond Game Studios and Platforms, if Microsoft can still need indie game developers to seek out a publisher to urge their games on Xbox Live Arcade, he said: "As of immediately, yes. we have a tendency to will still court developers within the ways in which we've."

"I would conjointly expect that for this new generation, that we're planning to still explore new business models and new ways that of emergence content," swag continued . "But Microsoft Studios may be a publisher that works with a good vary of partners, as do plenty of people, to bring digital content to the box."

As Booty's comments counsel, the corporate is not specifically outgoing from its current Xbox 360 strategy. however permitting self-published titles is quick changing into additional of associate business commonplace through services like Valve's laptop gambling distribution platform Steam, Nintendo's eShop, and Sony's PlayStation Network.

PC gambling is clearly a special beast entirely, however Sony — Microsoft's nighest rival within the console market — has been significantly aggressive in lionizing freelance game developers as a for the most part untapped bastion of creative thinking the corporate needs to dip more into with the PlayStation four. which will be as a result of the corporate is finally owning up to its own mistakes in creating the PlayStation three notoriously troublesome to develop games for, however in either case the loss of a vivacious indie community risks giving an original advantage (if not associate directly business one) to Microsoft's competitors.

Many indie developers took to Twitter to air their frustrations with Microsoft and its new console.

"So as somebody United Nations agency does not play 'Forza' or any Semitic deity Sports games and already contains a laptop connected to my TV, what will Xbox One supply me?" tweeted Tommy Refenes, the engineer behind the acclaimed platformer "Super Meat Boy" that 1st appeared on Xbox Live Arcade. Phil Fish, United Nations agency conjointly worked on a celebrated XBLA game "Fez," same that "there was fully nothing relevant" to him inthe announcement.

"Nothing concerning digital distribution or indies," Fish additional. "Nothing in the least."

Markus "Notch" Persson, the creator of the wildly fashionable and unprecedentedly profitable "Minecraft" game that conjointly appeared on XBLA, same that he "tried to urge excited concerning the Xbox One, but failed."

So the leaders of the indie game community clearly weren't excited by the Xbox One reveal. however will that mean that Microsoft is hanging them dead set dry? presumably. associate freelance developer United Nations agency has worked with Microsoft within the past told NBC News that "premium" has become one thing of a nonsense for the company's new console, as if to stress that the corporate needs to keep up a robust hand in curating all gambling content that seems on XBLA.

NBC News asked Microsoft to comment concerning its reasons for not permitting developers to self-publish their work. We'll update this post once we hear back.

The production of indie games has conjointly just about born off for the Xbox 360 within the lead-up to the Xbox One's unharness, whereas Sony continues to obtrude little and comparatively low cost titles for the PlayStation three and hand-held Vita console throughout this spring and summer.

Then again, it may simply be that indie game development is not the most pressing of Microsoft's considerations for the Xbox One. several of Sony's games, like Drinkbox Studios's "Guacamelee," are warmly received by game critics, however none have created the business or cultural splash of a game like "Call of Duty" or perhaps "Super Meat Boy." Sony is also gap itself up to indie developers within the hopes of finding future "Minecraft," however it's even as doubtless that Microsoft is not just because it does not need to.

Update: Microsoft gave NBC News the subsequent statement:

Xbox pioneered digital distribution of console games with Xbox LIVE Arcade gap up the console to thoroughly new categories of freelance developers. Later, we have a tendency to introduced Xbox LIVE Indie Games to supply associate outlet for the amateur creator. Xbox One may be a platform that permits all creators, as well as people who work on games and apps, despite team size, funding, business model, etc. to require advantage of distinctive capabilities to make wonderful experiences that push the boundaries of technology. we have a tendency to ar committed to making sure all Xbox platforms ar the simplest platforms to assist developers notice their visions and that we foresee to sharing additional details later.