Why ID@Xbox might suck for indie developers

As Microsoft gets its Independent Developer at Xbox (ID@Xbox) self-publishing program underway, the pitfalls are being uncovered by interested participants.

Microsoft’s policies for ID@Xbox force developers into a tough situation and help Microsoft’s chances when the game launches, instead of fostering an open and free indie game industry on the consoles.

The policies apply specifically to game release dates and have been simplified below (legal jargon cut out).

Developers are allowed to self-publish a game through the ID@Xbox program only if:

They release on Xbox before any other platforms.
They release on Xbox on the same day as other platforms.
They held a previous exclusivity deal on another platform for their game before the ID@Xbox program was announced.

Should they be successful in signing up, developers will receive two free Xbox One development kits as well as free support from Microsoft and a license to use the Unity engine for their games.

Why the first clause is an issue for some

Minecraft Xbox One edition needs to come out on the same day as the PS3 and PS4 versions

Minecraft Xbox One edition needs to come out before, or on the same day as the PS3 and PS4 versions, otherwise it can’t appear on the system at all. Ever.

The first clause is pretty simple – if you want your game to appear on Xbox Live, you can use the ID@Xbox program do to it as long as it appears on Xbox live first.

This means that if developers want flexibility in their build times and launch dates, they need to make sure that the Xbox Live version goes out first. Microsoft will get the sales first and will not require developers to sign exclusivity agreements as was the case with the Xbox 360. Even splitting up launch days to a single day apart is acceptable, as long as Microsoft is first.

On the surface this doesn’t seem like a really big deal, but this policy protects Microsoft’s platform and ensures that they will get guaranteed sales on day one, at the expense of harming Sony and Nintendo’s possible sales potential.

Technically, that’s anti-competitive and anti-consumer.

Why the second clause is an even bigger issue

Some developers might encounter issues with their game and may decide to delay the Xbox One version to accommodate some extra dev time. In this case, you can only do so if you also delay the version of the game for other platforms, including the PC.

If there’s a game-breaking issue that forces development back six months, indie studios are not allowed to capitalise on income and sales from other platforms in the meantime, which means that mistakes cost them more money. Doing so runs the risk of them losing their ID@Xbox membership and having their games removed from the Xbox Live store.

That’s a dealbreaker for smaller studios who rely on a steady stream of income to survive. If their build of the game for the Xbox One runs into optimisation issues the port for the console could be in jeopardy because there may not be room for fixing the issue. If the studio wanted to release their game in that event, they would have to drop all of their work that they’ve done on the One and the 360.

Sony definitely loves their indie lineup, which they boasted about at their E3 2013 show.

Why the third clause doesn’t benefit Microsoft at all

Indie studio Vlambeer used the exclusivity loophole and signed a one-month exclusivity agreement with Sony for their upcoming release of Luftrausers, a side-scrolling airplane shooter that looks like a very off-colour version of Gradius with more exploding thingies.

Vlambeer has joined the ID@Xbox program as a result of the third clause overriding the other two, but this still allows them to release on the PS3 or PS4 a whole month ahead of Xbox One. Microsoft will still get a decent slice of the sales, but they’ll be late to the party due to their own rules working against them.

Microsoft’s head of the ID@Xbox program, Chris Charla, has previously said that where game developers held a pre-existing exclusivity agreement to launch on other platforms that the company would arrange on a case-by-case basis whether they’ll be able waiver the first two rules or not.

But it appears that despite the restrictive policies, several indie studios are still committed to it and the Xbox One will be a home to some very popular and well-loved indie titles. Whether this means that older ones will be ported over remains to be seen.