14 DAY TRIAL // Phil Harrison, one of the leading executive of the Xbox One division at Microsoft, says that the much promoted indie games initiative for the next-gen console will deliver its first results during 2014 and they are shaping up to be impressive.
He tells GamesIndustry.biz that, “I don’t think we’re going to see things at launch. I don’t think it’s realistic to see a developer get the programme and build a game and get it into the market on November 22. It’s reasonable to expect in early 2014 we’ll start seeing the first games come through.”
ID@Xbox, as the program is officially known, has apparently received hundreds of applications from small teams after it was officially announced and there are thousands of studios now taking advantage of it.
The initiative was surprising because initially Microsoft did not plan to offer any kind of long-term support for indie titles on the Xbox One.
Phil Harrison says that the next-gen console is designed to make it easier for players to discover games that they are interested in and that should mean more gamers and more revenue for indie teams in the long term.
He adds, “If you look at our Upload service you’ll see it’s more than viral marketing. We’re trying to complete the circle where people see friends rating games, they see an upload of the game and there’s a button that says ‘buy me now’.”
Microsoft will also evaluate the various indie titles that are launched on the Xbox One and will promote those that deliver the most interesting experiences.
Sony is also courting smaller developers for the PlayStation 4 with financial support and promises of better visibility for their games and a chance to reach a bigger audience than on the PC.
The two next-gen devices will be launched in November all over the world.