In the history of the Xbox brand, we all know they have not been overly supportive of Indie titles and their creators. It was very difficult to get a game onto the platform. They had a kind of “Closed look” to indie developers, which pushed quite a few away towards PlayStation or Steam when it had its GreenLight program. With the creation of the ID@Xbox program, things changed, in a BIG way!
In 2013 at Gamescom, ID@Xbox was announced, opening up the doors to indie developers to help them put their games onto the Xbox platform. “Developers who are registered in the program get access to two development kits at no cost, as well as access to all required technical documentation. Additionally, there will be no fees to update any game submitted through the program. Games released through the program also have access to all Xbox One and Xbox Live components, including Kinect, Achievements and Xbox SmartGlass. Developers in the program also receive access to the Unity engine as well as an optional subscription to Unreal Engine 4.”
This type of access gave developers a type of ‘Helping Hand” in making their envisioned games a reality. So far, we’ve seen many a number of studios and devs take advantage of this, and produce some of the best indies we have seen. Some are platform exclusive, some are not. These tools have helped bring these games to fruition and have even benefited platforms like Playstation and Steam. Games like We Happy Few, Ashen, Cuphead, Ark: Survival Evolved, Plauge Inc, Lifeless Planet, Subnautica, Conan Exiles, Dungeon of the Endless, In The Flame and the Flood, Hyper Light Drifter and much, much more. None of these games would be available for the console world if it wasn’t for ID@Xbox. We have much to thank for this program, and it has paid off in a big way.
These are some staggering, and fantastic numbers to see for ID@Xbox. The program has grown to a substantial size, benefiting gamers greatly. more than 500 Games have released on ID@Xbox! We have much to thank for this program in the way that they have helped these studios create the games that they foresaw them as and what they wanted and a continuous stream of fun to be had.
This program continues to deliver and proves that Xbox’ stance has changed in a positive way. They embrace these developers and give them access to tools and tech that they might not normally have access to. Expect to see games like PUBG and Ashen to hit the market like a demo ball to a run-down building. You won’t really know the impact it will have until it hits you, and these games have hit hard!
Thank you to everyone who has shown support to these developers and continue to do so! They deserve the funding, feedback and time we put in to help them make their games they way they have always wanted. Personally, I’m very excited to see how well PUBG will do on the platform. Right now with ID@Xbox, things are only looking up!
