The Xbox One is set to release with the same guidelines for indie gaming that currently stand on the Xbox 360. While that may have worked for last generation, it likely won’t in the future. The company’s position on indie games needs to change.
Thanks to all of the consumer backlash that followed the announcement of the Xbox One, for better or worse, Microsoft pulled a 180 on almost all of its new policies surrounding DRM, physical media and connectivity.
However, there’s one wall that’s yet to come down, and that’s the one surrounding Microsoft’s stance on indie games and the Xbox One.
If you make indie games and want to sell them on the Xbox One, as it stands now, things won’t be easy. You’ll need to be published by either a larger third party publisher, or by Microsoft Studios directly. In other words, Microsoft won’t work with you in order to self publish your games. You’ll need a bigger backer from a list of approved publishers to get the ball rolling, and that stands in stark contrast with what can be done on the PlayStation 4, Wii U and, of course, the PC.
Then there’s what bigger independent developers have to say regarding Microsoft’s policy decisions with the Xbox One. Here’s Lorne Lanning, co-founder and current head of Oddworld Inhabitants, in an interview published by VG247 yesterday.
“At the business level, Microsoft isn’t acknowledging people like us…It’s as if we don’t matter.”
Lanning went even further to suggest that those responsible for these policies should get the collective boot.
“Whoever their PR people are, whoever their marketing agents are, they should fire them all. That’s where they should start. There should be a big, mass firing and they should publicise that. Then they’d get people saying, ‘Hey, maybe there’s going to be a good change.’”
The Failing AAA Model
Sure, big blockbuster games currently stand as the money makers for consoles. The massive projects that cost tons of money to produce, market and release are the current standard for console gaming.
That model, though, is changing.
For most large publishers, the decision to create a game hinges on risk. Risky properties and ideas might not succeed in the marketplace. Publishers don’t want to dump millions and millions into an idea that has a strong chance of underperforming, so they go with the safe bet: shooters and established IPs.
The bad news? The AAA model is getting a bit too big for its britches. I covered this in a previous feature here on Crave, so I’ll point towards a little logic from that article to prove my point.
Publishers toss so much money at these games and their development that it becomes almost impossible to turn a profit. Not every game is Halo, Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto. Those titles sell based on their franchise history alone. They will easily clear five million copies at retail during their first few days and weeks.
Everything else dying to be AAA has been sent out to die. Look back at the recent Tomb Raider relaunch from Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix. This was an incredible, incredible game. We loved it here at Crave.
Well within its first month at retail, Square Enix announced that Tomb Raider had sold nearly 3.5 million copies. 3.5 MILLION. Guess what? It missed projections.
AAA gaming as we know it is fading away. The next wave will be all about in-house exclusives and independently built masterpieces.
Interest in Indie Games is Growing
The real clinching point? People want indie games. They want to love the unique ideas, interesting mechanics and completely foreign methods of play. In a market that’s become oversaturated with shooters, racers and generic adventures, indie games serve as a change of pace.
Look at the games Sony brought on stage during its E3 presentation just over a month ago. The company announced PlayStation 4 versions of crazy titles like Octodad: Dadliest Catch, Ray’s The Dead, Secret Ponchos, Outlast, Don’t Starve and Mercenary Kings.
These are all wild and unique games that people genuinely want to play. They glow with passion and inspiration. They are the wave of things to come.
What “indie” game did Microsoft show off for the Xbox One? You might have heard of it before…
Minecraft.
