Microsoft’s ID@Xbox program helps hundreds of developers self-publish their games on Xbox One and Windows 10 by providing dev kits and other tools to aid in the process. Recently, several indie developers spoke at an ID@Xbox preview event praising the program.
Speaking with MCV, Sumo Digital designer and PR analyst David Dino mentioned how great the program is for developers who don’t necessarily have the funds to support their work.
“I think it’s great. All these different programs, especially ID@Xbox, have been really good. Just allowing people to have dev kits when they don’t necessarily have the funds to purchase something like that, you get a lot of crazy ideas that people are brewing that they don’t necessarily have the ability to do straight out unless they have a set amount of capital, so a programme like ID@Xbox is amazing because it’s an amazing option for them”
“Even five years ago, it was tough for people to really get into even a self-publishing route, or look for a publisher in that regard. But now there are so many different avenues and it’s good to have those choices as well. ID@Xbox has been super helpful in getting the visibility of (Snake Pass) and making that publishing process a lot easier as well. Thankfully, again, with Sumo Digital having worked on a lot of Microsoft titles, too, we’ve been able to leverage those partnerships.”
“It’s been really awesome working with them. Doing our own self-publishing, trying to get that visibility, it’s still work that we have to do, but having the avenue that ID@Xbox has given us in order to get to this place, that’s something we wouldn’t have been able to be a part of (otherwise).”
Mad Fellows, the two-man team behind Aaero, a rhythm-action title coming to consoles and Steam this spring, praised the amount of support that they received through ID@Xbox, stating that a platform like Steam was less personal in their experience.
“They were just there when you need them, so if you hit a problem, you can get in touch with them and they’ll sort it out, or guide you in the right direction,” said technical director Dan Horbury. “With Steam, we found it less personal. We’ve worked with Microsoft on two projects now and on the first project we had account managers who spent their own time talking to us, to help us get it onto the store, to help with the US store.”
Other developers from Tequila Works and Cavalier Game Studios said that their relationship with the ID@Xbox team has been amazing, with events like the ID@Xbox preview event tremendously valuable. Tequila Works producer Miguel Paniagua even said that the submission process for Microsoft is the easiest across all platforms.
“With The Sexy Brutale, we’re self-publishing and the relationship with have with the ID team has been amazing. They’ve been very helpful and any time I had a problem I sent an email and I’ve had an answer in three minutes. It’s very quick communication. It’s our first time publishing a game and we were kind of lost at the beginning because we didn’t know that we had so many things to deal with. It’s a huge process, but I have to say that the submission process with Microsoft is the easiest one of all (platforms). We’re submitting with PS4, with Xbox, with Steam, and ID@Xbox is the most helpful one.”
There’s no doubt that ID@Xbox has been incredibly beneficial to indie developers. With an outstanding support network, some developers are finding it easier than ever to publish their games.
Source: MCV
Jennifer is a games journalist, former games journalist and PR Manager at Gearbox. They contributed 234 articles to ICXM between 2015–2017, focused on opinion pieces, game reviews, Windows and PC, and Xbox news: went on to write for Windows Central and later managed PR for Gearbox Software.