Compulsion Games wasn't able to get a devkit until after the release of the console

Jul 1, 2014 23:31 GMT  ·  By

Compulsion Games, the developer behind the recent Contrast puzzle game, has offered some details about the delayed release of the title on the Xbox One, saying that it was mostly due to the surprise announcement of the ID@Xbox program from Microsoft.

Sony and Microsoft revealed and launched their new consoles, the PS4 and Xbox One, last year, and immediately after the initial announcement, Sony touted its strategy focused on independent developers who could finally self-publish games onto the PS4.

Meanwhile, Microsoft remained silent on the issue and it seemed that publishers would still need to release downloadable games on Xbox One. However, the company eventually confirmed a special program called ID@Xbox that allows for indie studios to release games on their own for the new console.

The surprise announcement and the lack of any concrete plans made it hard for Compulsion Games to release Contrast at the same time on all platforms.

"We have been asking Microsoft for years to allow developers to self-publish. We had been talking about self-publishing Contrast since at least early 2012, to anyone at MS who would listen. When self-publishing was announced for MS, it took us by surprise - we had no idea it was coming, which is a bit of a bugger because we had just signed a publishing deal for the 360," the studio explained on Reddit.

"So, when they announced it, we were already committed to four platforms on launch, and for an 8 person team, that's pretty crazy already."

As such, it was hard for Microsoft to offer Xbox One devkits to all the studios in the program, and Compulsion didn't receive one until after the console's November release. That's why it was unable to release Contrast on the new platform in a timely manner.

"However, we still asked for dev kits from the middle of last year. Unfortunately, it took some time for the ID program to get up and running, and we didn't get kits until after release. I think that's pretty reasonable – Microsoft was creating a new program, and priority probably should have gone to other devs who were not launching on other platforms, who wanted kits. But, obviously it meant that we couldn't have launched on Xbox One even if we tried," the developer stated.

Even so, Contrast is now available on PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One, so all major console owners can enjoy the artistic puzzle game.

You can expect Compulsion, despite its small size, to keep focusing on most platforms with its future projects.