14 DAY TRIAL // The development team at Microsoft in charge of the Xbox One says that indie game developers will have no restrictions on the next-gen console and will have to pay no fees in order to create new game experiences on the device.
The official name of the new program is ID@Xbox.
Chris Charla is the leader of the indie focused service and he will lead a team of 50 community managers who will have presence and will organize events in London, Seattle and San Francisco.
Phil Harrison, a corporate vice president at the company, says that small teams will be able to develop quirky experiences on the Xbox One and then share them with the community, through a simple searchable system.
Friends will be able to offer recommendations and there will also be options to record content and share it with the wider community.
Microsoft promised more details when it initially announced its new self-publishing policy for indies, but it’s still pretty unclear how the process will work after an application is submitted.
The big news is that gamers who want to develop small games for the Xbox One will never be asked to pay in order to distribute their titles, according to Major Nelson.
The company says, “Xbox has long engaged with independent developers through Microsoft Studios and Xbox Live Arcade to bring their creative visions to gamers. It is with these developers in mind that Xbox One was architected to be the best platform for development, digital distribution and discovery.”
Applications for the ID@Xbox program can be filled starting with August 20 and the team will carefully consider all information about the teams that are trying to get access.
The program will also offer access to Achievements and Challenges, which will allow developers to create special events for the community.
The Xbox One is expected to launch at some point in November.