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Microsoft’s ID@Xbox program has released over 1,000 titles.
Launched in 2013, the scheme seeks to support indie developers and has now worked with 3,000 independent studios across 67 countries to bring titles like Celeste, Stardew Valley, and Cuphead to Windows 10, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
"We’ve made so many memories since the launch of the ID@Xbox program in 2013, and we’re still floored that we’ve seen over 1,000 titles release through the program," Microsoft stated in a press release. "From the 1930s inspired, hand-drawn run-and-gun Cuphead to the brain bending puzzle platformer Inside, these uniquely crafted experiences by independent developers will stick with us forever."
Talking to Eurogamer, ID@Xbox boss Chris Charla said that the program had paid out "more than a billion dollars" to indies and was committed to making the process of getting their games on Xbox One as "as straightforward as possible for developers to get promotional and discovery support in the store".
"We’re getting closer and closer to the point where the only gating factor in the success of a video game is the vision of the creator and the willingness to make that happen," Charla added. "It’s no longer that the gates are platform access or technology in terms of being able to create a game engine. To me that’s awesome, because it means that we’re seeing more and more new voices emerge, and we’re seeing more and more stories from people we’ve never heard from before. That’s what excites me so much about the independent scene right now."
The success of ID@Xbox titles comes not just from the strength of the games themselves, but the way Xbox can make development smoother, both when it comes to promoting the games but also assisting during the development process, European regional lead Agostino Simonetta told MCV earlier this year.
“In general our focus is always ‘how can we make developers’ lives easier?’,” Simonetta said. “That’s one of our pillars. How we can help our partners promote their games? We always say to everybody ‘You are the publisher, ultimately you will do your marketing, you’ll do your PR, but what can we do as Xbox to help you guys?’ So now there are various things that we can do.”
