XBox One to Allow for Game Self-Publishing

A boon for indie developers

Microsoft made headlines last month when they changed nearly every controversial aspect about the Xbox One after a disastrous showing at E3. They eliminated an internet connection requirement and officially lifted all sanctions on the resale of used games, putting the system on equal footing with Sony's PS4 in nearly every way except price and game line-up.

Well, one more difference has slipped through the cracks, until now. Microsoft is changing a policy that would have forced indie game developers to pair with a 3rd party publisher to distribute their games on Xbox One's marketplace, or make a deal directly with Microsoft itself.

"Our vision is that every person can be a creator. That every Xbox One can be used for development," Xbox corporate VP Marc Whitten told Engadget regarding the change. "That every game and experience can take advantage of all of the features of Xbox One and Xbox LIVE. This means self-publishing. This means Kinect, the cloud, achievements. This means great discoverability on Xbox LIVE. We'll have more details on the program and the timeline at Gamescom in August."

Comments

[RightNut]

Should help bring back indy developers who were pissed about Microsoft discontinuing XNA. Have to see what type of revenue sharing agreement Microsoft imposes.

[wwhorton]

I wonder how this will juxtapose with the Steam Box (when it comes out) in conjunction with Steam's Greenlight program. I know the current terms are a $100 submission fee (goes to charity, which is pretty cool) and then allegedly the dev keeps 70% of sales, although supposedly that figure is negotiable and Steam doesn't discuss it publicly.