14 DAY TRIAL // The team at Microsoft working on the Xbox One home console and the special ID@Xbox program is ready to reveal the names of 25 indie titles that will be launched on the next-gen platform in the coming months.
The full list, according to a post on the Xbox Wire, is made up of:
1001 Spikes - Nicalis Calibre 10 Racing Series – Bongfish GmbH CastleStorm – Zen Studios Chariot – Frima Chuck’s Challenge 3D – Niffler Contrast – Compulsion Games Divekick Addition Edition + – Iron Galaxy Studios Forced - BetaDwarf ApS FRU – Through Games Guacamelee Super Turbo Championship Edition – DrinkBox Studios Gunscape – Blowfish Studios Habitat - 4gency Hyper Light Drifter – Heart Machine It Draws a Red Box – Other Ocean Nutjitsu - NinjaBee Pinball Arcade – FarSight Studios Q.U.B.E. Director’s Cut – Toxic Games Riptide GP2 - Vector Unit Roundabout – No Goblin Sixty Second Shooter Prime – Happion Laboratories Spectra: 8bit Racing – Gateway Interactive Strike Suit Zero – Born Ready Games Super Time Force – Capybara The Last Tinker – Mimimi Productions Wulverblade – Darkwind Media
Microsoft explains that the list is not chronological and that at the moment it cannot offer any clear launch dates for any of the included games, although individual announcements will begin to take place soon.
Chris Charla, the game director working on the ID@Xbox program, states, “Since we first announced the program in August, we’ve been working closely with developers to bring a diverse array of independent games to Xbox One. Our goal is to make the process as easy as possible so developers can focus on what matters most: creating the games you’re beginning to see today!”
Phil Spencer, who is a corporate vice president at the Microsoft Studios, adds that his company wants the Xbox One to be the leading gaming platform in the industry and that cannot happen if independent developers do not create interesting titles for it.
More than 200 other development teams currently have access to development kits for the Microsoft home console and the company might announce more indie games in the near future, as it tries to close the sales gap that the rival PlayStation 4 from Sony is opening up.
After the Xbox One was first revealed, Microsoft suggested that it might introduce complex development tools in all the consoles that it sold, but on launch they were not available.
Some intrepid gamers found traces of them on the platform, but the company has warned them that trying to use them might lead to problems with the hardware.