Xbox One won't allow indies to self-publish games

Independent developers cannot self-publish their own games on Xbox Live Arcade. That policy isn't changing with Xbox One.

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Independent developers cannot self-publish their own games on Xbox Live Arcade. Instead, they must get a publishing deal--either with Microsoft Game Studios or with a third-party partner. Games published on Xbox Live Indie Games are exempt from that policy, but that marketplace isn't necessary seen as viable.

Limitations imposed by Microsoft have prevented a number of games from ever appearing on Xbox 360. And apparently, Xbox One won't change how Microsoft approaches indie games.

When asked if developers will still need a publisher to get content onto Xbox Live, Matt Booty, general manager of Redmond Game Studios and Platforms, told us that "as of right now, yes. We intend to continue to court developers in the ways that we have."

He did add that "I would also expect that for this new generation, that we're going to continue to explore new business models and new ways of surfacing content. But Microsoft Studios is a publisher that works with a wide range of partners, as do a lot of other people, to bring digital content to the box."

When it comes to self-publishing, Microsoft is the odd man out. Both Sony and Nintendo allow developers to publish their own games onto PlayStation Network and Nintendo Network, respectively. Microsoft's position stands in stark contrast to Sony, which has been aggressively pursuing indie content for PS4.

Andrew Yoon was previously a games journalist creating content at Shacknews.

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From The Chatty
  • reply
    May 21, 2013 5:45 AM

    Andrew Yoon posted a new article, Xbox One won't allow indies to self-publish games.

    Independent developers cannot self-publish their own games on Xbox Live Arcade. That policy isn't changing with Xbox One.

    • reply
      May 22, 2013 5:58 AM

      This just keeps getting worse...

      • reply
        May 22, 2013 6:29 AM

        It's interesting how opposed MS is to Indies compared to the start of the last/current gen.

        • reply
          May 22, 2013 7:05 AM

          Yeah, I don't think there is much left of that original Xbox team. Even if some of the people are there, the spirit and intensity is not.

    • reply
      May 22, 2013 6:45 AM

      Shrug, I do not care if Microsoft allows self publishing. They do a good job of surfacing up great content, and I am not starved for great arcade games to play.

      • reply
        May 22, 2013 7:05 AM

        The problem is that with the costs and risks associated with the AAA titles, the big games tend to be very safe and unexciting. Slightly smaller budget games ("A" games I guess) seem to be kind of going away. Most of the interesting innovations in the past few years have come from the Indie scene. Sony and even Nintendo seem to be aware of this and are making it easier for those small teams to get games out to the public. MS is doing it... kind of, with their Indie games section... but it gets buried in their interface and most people probably don't even know it's there.

        Indie games are where it's at right now... MS would be wise to see that and make it easier for them.

    • reply
      May 22, 2013 8:07 AM

      Now it makes complete sense why you retired XNA. Instead of fixing the discoverability problems with the store now you are going to make indies jump through further hoops. Not every one is going to have the army of contacts at the garage indie level to get a publishing deal on what ever is going to be called arcade will be re-branded as.

    • reply
      May 22, 2013 8:55 AM

      Probably just work like windows 8 and windows phone which has both xbox and non-xbox branded games in their store. If you want xbox live stuff, you need to go through a publisher or whatever, otherwise you can make your own game without those features.

    • reply
      May 22, 2013 4:45 PM

      "Shhk, shhk, shhk"
      The sound of Microsoft f*cking themselves.

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