BitSummit, Japan’s premiere indie games festival, most recently ended in Kyoto, Japan. As noted by dualshockers.com, Microsoft ID@Xbox Director Chris Charla hosted a panel at the event, and detailed some in-depth information on the ID@Xbox program.
Some of the information revealed at BitSummit is the fact that in the three years since the program started, ID@Xbox has allotted hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for independent developers on Xbox One. The inner workings of the ID@Xbox program, as revealed by Chris Charla, included the following:
- ID@Xbox Developers can ship games on Xbox One and Windows 10 with full access to all platform features, from Xbox Live to HDR.
- ID@Xbox Developers can get the exact level of access as any other publisher.
- ID@Xbox Developers have free access to 2 Xbox One dev kits and Unity for Xbox One.
- ID@Xbox Developers have all games sold on the same marketplace (On Xbox, a game is a game)
- ID@Xbox Developers have the ability to seamlessly ship games on Xbox One and Windows 10 with Xbox Live.
- Microsoft provides ID@Xbox partners with a robust and sustainable worldwide marketplace in which to sell games.
- Through transparency and communication, Microsoft listens to and implements feedback from developers and players to make ID@Xbox the best experience possible.
- With ID@Xbox there are NO paid fees to Microsoft for certification or updates, and no limits on updates.
- One worldwide submission process.
- Local account support in Japan.
- Development support and promotional application.
The process for joining the ID@Xbox Program was also detailed by Charla, and as dualshockers.com notes, is relatively simple. Having a team, signing an NDA, Registering, Submitting a concept, building, and publishing is all it takes to being part of the ID@Xbox Program.
Additionally, it was also noted that Microsoft helps ID@Xbox developers promote their games. This is done through the dashboard, through the store, social media, and large events. Key factors in a release of a title were also explained by Charla, and information on Launch timing, box art, and awareness wrap up the inner workings of the ID@Xbox Program.
