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Interview with C.Carla :

http://1080players.com/index.php/xb...-id-xbox-parity-clause-rocket-league-and-more

Interview - Chris Charla talks id@Xbox, parity clause, Rocket League and more


We had the opportunity to speak with Mr. Chris Charla, head of the id@Xbox publishing program for Microsoft Xbox One and now Windows 10. We spoke on the process developers go through, the support they receive during development and even Rocket League coming to Xbox One. Take a look and let us know what you think below.

1. The whole parity clause seems to have changes completely with Xbox One's release. You've mentioned before that "a game is a game is a game" and the indie market on Xbox One is huge compared to the 360. The combination of all games in one store I believe has also helped immensely. What was that process like as it seems you've reinvented the whole program for Xbox One and what was the "mission statement" so to speak during its implementation?

C.C :
During the development of Xbox One, there were a lot of discussions about digital games, and how we would take Xbox Live Arcade forward. Later that morphed into discussions about ID@Xbox and where games from independent developers should live. Should it be a separate store, or should all games live together. I think thoughtful people can have a good discussion about this, but I think we made the right call, that a game is a game is a game, and all games should be sold in the same store. We wanted to create a sustainable ecosystem for developers and ensure a great variety of games for players, and having one store is the best way to do that. We have done ID@Xbox specific sales promotions, and we may do more in the future, but fundamentally we have one store.

Our mission statement always boils down to “make life easy for developers.” If we do that, we know we’ll get great games. So we’re constantly working to try and improve processes, document processes, etc. so that getting a game on Xbox One or Windows 10 with Xbox Live is as easy as possible for creators!


2. When the program was first announced, Windows 10 obviously wasn't a thing yet so it was only geared toward Xbox One. With Windows 10 here now, what are some of the differences between the Xbox One dev kits and developers who only wish to create for PC/Windows 10 as far as rules or restrictions if any?

C.C.:
Well, architecturally, the games are really similar. On Xbox One you have two paradigms for development, the traditional method using dev-kits, and in the near future, you’ll also be able to use the Universal Windows Platform to make games that run either on Windows 10 devices like PCs or in the system partition of the Xbox One. Development is really similar.

For games that are going on Xbox, whether they are “dev kit games,” or Windows Universal Apps, they all need to have Xbox Live, be rated, etc. There’s no difference in rules for games that go on Xbox, whether they are dev kit games or Windows Universal Apps.

For games that are targeting PC, we have resources for developers if they want to use Xbox Live, and if they don’t want to use Xbox Live, of course, they don’t have to. We’ve tried to make it very easy for developers to ship Universal Windows Apps on Windows 10.


3. Now, Microsoft is essentially the retailer for id@Xbox games with the developer the wholesaler. Two part question: 1. How does the prices setting process go with new games between you and the developer? Retailers generally set the price in most places but is it any different with you and 2) How do new games get released some times right out of the gate free via Games with Gold? Games like Massive Chalice in June and Deer God this past month both debuted for free with Gold. Since they aren't getting that big initial rush in sales as most new titles go before that "new shine" wears off , are they compensated by you somehow or how does that work?

C.C.:
We are the “retailer,” but the developer sets the wholesale price. And we work closely with developers to make sure the game launches when they want and is priced correctly to their wishes. Of course, you can imagine that developers receive compensation if they are participating in Games with Gold!


4. With the program starting at 50 or so developers when it was first announced back in 2013, it has grown exponentially since then. How many developers are in the program currently?

C.C.:
More than 1000 developers currently have kits!


5. One of the games we are looking forward to is Rivals of Aether by Dan Fornace. We actually interviewed him on the show a couple months ago as well. They just announced they will be releasing on PC preview to work out the bugs prior to coming to other platforms like Xbox One. What type of assistance does the id@Xbox program provide developers in in regards to working out kinks and bugs during the process for small teams or even one person teams like on Rivals of Aether as it must be extremely time consuming?

C.C.:
We work really hard to make things as easy as possible for developers to get their game on Xbox One, but as you mention, game development is not easy! We really work to focus on the process side of things, so creators can just focus on their games.


6. The size of the indie game has increased dramatically in a short period of time with many carrying the full 1,000GS as well as more with DLC. Not too many do you see with dozens of hours of gameplay like some AAA titles. Are there any restrictions limiting how big an id@Xbox title can be and what they can use like Smartglass, companion apps, Kinect, etc from a rules standpoint or is it limited by what the studio can handle?

C.C.:
No there are no limits whatsoever on ID@Xbox developers in terms of what features of the Xbox One they can use. So, Kinect, SmartGlass, the full Xbox Live stack, Achievements and Gamerscore – if a game can do it on Xbox, and ID@Xbox game can do it.


7. Kickstarter has become almost a staple in game development nowadays with all sorts of developers from indie to large, AAA studios seeking crowd funding. What type of financial assistance is available for developers through the id@Xbox program if they choose not to use Kickstarter or aren't able to earn enough funds needed?

C.C.:
We’re big supporters of devs using Kickstarter and other non-traditional or crowd-sourced methods to fund their games! If a developer is interested in full funding for a title, we’re happy to introduce developers to Microsoft’s game publishing arm, Microsoft Studios, which routinely funds games.


8. Rocket League is a smash hit on PC as well as PS4 especially with the cross play between them as well as it becoming an E-sport now. Developer Psyonix has said before they'd like to bring the game to other platforms, specifically mentioning they were happy with how the process was going with Xbox One. Another quick two parter, sorry. 1.) How is its development going as far as they've indicated previously they'd like to release pretty soon? and 2) Would it support cross play with PC/Windows 10 and even PS4 users? I know the PS4 is a stretch, but hey cross play is cross play and the E-sports between Xbox and PS4 would make a great bragging rights tournament **fingers crossed**

C.C :
Rocket League is an *awesome* game and we love it. But for specific Rocket League questions, you should talk to Psyonix, I can’t really speak for them!


9. With Mr. Nadella indicating Hololens dev kits would be going out next year, how is the id@Xbox program set up for those developers who may wish to utilize the software in creating a game or app on Xbox One and how many devs are lined up currently expecting a kit in order to begin?

C.C.:
The level of interest in HoloLens has been awesome! And the tech is amazing. We don’t have anything new to share at this time.


10. Say if during the course of creation, a developer is having some technical issue arise that was not expected and/or unable to handle at their level. Does the id@Xbox program have any assistance available from Microsoft that can come in and assist and if so, how does that function?

C.C.:
Yes absolutely. If someone is trying to use an Xbox feature and they are having trouble, we work to help them out. It works probably like you’d expect – a lot of common things we handle in email and then we have various escalation paths, forums, tech people, etc. to help people solve issues. We also publish a lot of white papers for developers, either showing best practices, or new techniques, or if something is an issue a lot of devs run into, we’ll tackle that. And just as we regularly update Xbox One with new system level features, we update the development environment as well, adding features, fixing issues, etc. It goes back to trying to make things easy for developers. We can’t make the game, but we work really hard making getting the game on Xbox One as straightforward as possible!


11. I won't ask about your favorite game because I'm sure you wouldn't tell me even if you had one specifically. One thing there must be with this ever evolving program is surprises. What is the biggest surprise you've encountered so far?

C.C.:
Honestly the variety in games we’ve seen has blown me away, and continues to blow me away on a daily basis. Also the quality and how ambitious and advanced games from independent developers are becoming, thanks in large part to help from middleware like Unity and Unreal. We’re really getting to the place where technology is no longer the gating factor in how good a game is, it’s the creative vision of the developer. And that’s awesome, that’s how it should be.


12. This may be a reach but, it's been two years since the program's initial rollout with Xbox One's release just about. Where do you see the id@Xbox program in another two years as far as 1) Growth compared to the current status of the program and 2) Rise in digital sales of games increasing over physical disc year over year?

C.C.:
It’s hard to predict the future, but I suspect we’ll see independent developers continuing to surprise players with totally new game types as well as games such as Cuphead that take established game types and just do something totally unexpected and delightful with them. The love of games that independent developers bring, and the complete immersion in games and game culture that many younger devs have had for their entire lives is going to continue to deliver amazing experiences. We are still at the very start of this art form, and we’re not even close to seeing it peak. It’s like living when Mozart was alive and composing symphonies. We’re getting to experience a true golden age. It makes it a very exciting space to work in!

 

[Jacksinthe]

I don't see any conversation about the parity clause as the title of the article suggests. I see a singlre statement being made by the interviewer with nary a response to be found. Unless I missed it or it wasn't included in the article.

Also, you shouldn't be posting the whole article. Only select quotes.

 

[TheKeyPit]

How would Microsoft denying games you are not interested in a release on Xbox create more games that you are interested in?

There wouldn't be more games that I'm interested in, but less of those I don't care for.

Edit: Which means, because I don't care they could pump out 10 indie games per week and fill up the store with those.

 

[LewieP]

What a ridiculous opinion.

You would prefer to deny developer the chance of releasing on Xbox, and deny many Xbox owners from playing games they want to play, just so there are not entries for games you don't want to play appearing in the store?

That is remarkably selfish.

 

[TBiddy]

I don't see any conversation about the parity clause as the title of the article suggests. I see a singlre statement being made by the interviewer with nary a response to be found. Unless I missed it or it wasn't included in the article.

Also, you shouldn't be posting the whole article. Only select quotes.

That's a really poor title. Not much is said about neither the parity clause or Rocket League.. but such is life on the internet. Filled to the brink with click-bait.

Also, you're correct. Copying an entire article is most likely copyright infringment.

 

[Skyrise]

There are addons for console compile and those need to be switched whenever you compile to a different platform or you won't be able to compile. I can't keep the PS4 libraries up when compiling for Xbox - I have to remove them. PS4/Xbox have their own libraries and you can't mix them when building. Only one can be active at any one time similar to iOS, Android, Mac, PC, Linux, etc. There is no "one size fits all" compile and it is handled by Unity, not code.

No need to branch.

You can just use #ifdef in your code for conditional compilation, and put the platform specific plug-ins in the appropriate folders or select them in Unity 5.

We're working on PS4, Vita, Wii U, iOS, Pc, Mac with no need to use different branches.

 

[TheKeyPit]

What a ridiculous opinion.

You would prefer to deny developer the chance of releasing on Xbox, and deny many Xbox owners from playing games they want to play, just so there are not entries for games you don't want to play appearing in the store?

That is remarkably selfish.

I'd prefer to not get bad games. That's all I wanted to say.

Edit: I'm just having the feeling that we're getting more bad indie games this gen than last gen.

 

[nynt9]

I'd prefer to not get bad games. That's all I wanted to say.

Edit: I'm just having the feeling that we're getting more bad indie games this gen than last gen.

You realize that getting less games also means a lesser chance at getting good games, right? It's not like the Xbox indie store doesn't have any garbage. It's not a matter of quality curation, it's a matter of predatory practices towards indie developers.

Also, it's not like the existence of a bad game hurts you in any way whatsoever. Just ignore it?

No need to branch.

You can just use #ifdef in your code for conditional compilation, and put the platform specific plug-ins in the appropriate folders or select them in Unity 5.

We're working on PS4, Vita, Wii U, iOS, Pc, Mac with no need to use different branches.

Depends on what libraries you are using? Maybe they're not even using Unity? Different platforms have different hardware capabilities and thus require different asset quality options? Maybe the memory requirements on platforms being different leads to certain areas performing under acceptable levels? There's a lot to work on, not just "just put an ifdef somewhere and it'll take care of it". On paper maybe that's good, but in reality it's often more complicated.

 

[Chobel]

I'd prefer to not get bad games. That's all I wanted to say.

Edit: I'm just having the feeling that we're getting more bad indie games this gen than last gen.

It's not like you will get less good games, and you're not forced to buy these games.

 

[Jacksinthe]

No need to branch.

You can just use #ifdef in your code for conditional compilation, and put the platform specific plug-ins in the appropriate folders or select them in Unity 5.

We're working on PS4, Vita, Wii U, iOS, Pc, Mac with no need to use different branches.

Eh? Plugins as in add-ons. Installed outside of Unity to compile, not plugins inside of Unity. I've never been able to get a conditional library call to compile when switching build environments.

Unless that's in the newest version of Unity I get errors. My version is 2 builds old.

For the record I'm better with game logic, scripting, etc. I'm not the best with setting up environments. I don't spend enough time with them learning all the tricks :/

I'd prefer to not get bad games. That's all I wanted to say.

Edit: I'm just having the feeling that we're getting more bad indie games this gen than last gen.

"Feeling" is now a metric which is unfortunately only relative to the individual with the feels.

Still no reason to hate on quantity unless you're the type that wants 60 dollar DLC treadmill generators lightly wrapped by an actual game. Some of the best games this gen are Indies, hands down. That's probably because those devs started by making a game instead of a monetization model.

 

[PanicFreak]

EA and Ubisoft are my favourite indie developers.

That's why I clearly separated indie games from "indie" games. Cheers

 

[LewieP]

That's why I clearly separated indie games from "indie" games. Cheers

So what does "indie" mean? Major multinational corporation?

 

[Skyrise]

Depends on what libraries you are using? Maybe they're not even using Unity? Different platforms have different hardware capabilities and thus require different asset quality options? Maybe the memory requirements on platforms being different leads to certain areas performing under acceptable levels? There's a lot to work on, not just "just put an ifdef somewhere and it'll take care of it". On paper maybe that's good, but in reality it's often more complicated.

I've replyed because they are using Unity and we have a broad experience with Unity and multiplatform development.

My reply was only about using conditional compilation and Unity plugins, not about performances or assets on different platforms. Obviously you need a ton of work to support multiple platform (we know this very well...).

 

[PanicFreak]

So what does "indie" mean? Major multinational corporation?

Smaller, downloadable-only titles from major game publishers. I thought the distinction was pretty clear. Maybe "indie-like" would be better?

 

[Jacksinthe]

I've replyed because they are using Unity and we have a broad experience with Unity and multiplatform development.

My reply was only about using conditional compilation and Unity plugins, not about performances or assets on different platforms. Obviously you need a ton of work to support multiple platform (we know this very well...).

Looking at the docs now. I've been mistaken. Will give this a go this evening.

 

[Skyrise]

Looking at the docs now. I've been mistaken. Will give this a go this evening.

It'll save you a lot of time. We've now setup everything so it's just switch platform and build on PS4, PSVita, Wii U, iOS, PC and Mac.
Maybe it requires a bit of fiddling around in the beginning but once it work...

 

[LewieP]

Smaller, downloadable-only titles from major game publishers. I thought the distinction was pretty clear. Maybe "indie-like" would be better?

That's a pretty nebulous definition, but OK. Also Garden Warfare and Child of Light had physical releases.

Regardless, I don't think the likes of EA or Ubisoft have any trouble with developing and publishing on multiple platforms.

 

[Mar Nosso]

Where is "The Vanishing of Ethan Carter"? It came out in July for the PS4.

 

[btags]

While I won't argue against having more games, it is not necessarily always a better thing. I am sure steam trounces the ps4 in number of titles released, but how many of them are actually games you would want to play?

 

[LewieP]

While I won't argue against having more games, it is not necessarily always a better thing. I am sure steam trounces the ps4 in number of titles released, but how many of them are actually games you would want to play?

Steam has more games I would want to play than the PS4 does.

 

[chalex010]

I did a quick search for a couple titles and found the following:

Thomas Was Alone is 5 stars on PS4, 3.5 on Xbox One and Overwhelmingly positive on Steam

Velocity 2X is 4 stars on PS4, 3 on Xbox One and Positive on Steam.

Super Time Force is 4 stars on PS4, 3 on Xbox One and Very Positive on Steam.

Shovel Knight is 5 stars on PS4, 4.5 on Xbox One and Overwhelmingly Positive on Steam.

Based on this extremely limited set, it seems like the user reviews are generally lower for indie games on Xbox than on PS4 or Steam. That said, there are a lot of Indie games that are rated very highly (4 stars and above) on the Xbox Store.

Some of them include Outlast (4.5), Terraria (4.5), The Escapists (4.5), The Long Dark (4.5), The Zombie Army Trilogy (4.5), Limbo (4.5), Life is Strange (4.5), Castle Crashers (4.5), Oddworld New and Tasty (4.5), Rebirth of Issac (4.5), Don't Starve (4.5), Elite Dangerous (4.0), Happy Wars (4.0), Slender the Arrival (4.0), Pinball FX 2 (4.0), among others.

Not included in that list are "indie" games like Ori and the Blind Forest (4.5), Valiant Hearts (4.5), Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare 1 (4.0) and 2 (4.5), State of Decay (4.5), D4 (4.0), and Child of Light (4.0), among others.

As such, I'm not sure it's fair to say that the people playing games on Xbox have poor taste or that the community doesn't like indie games because there are a bunch of indie and "indie" games that are highly regarded.

I think this shows the results of the customer cultivation both companies have been doing during their time in the console space. Sony has traditionally been more willing to take chances with first party support on unproven niche market segments and smaller developers. Just looking back from the PS2 on you've got:

PS2:
Frequency/Amplitude
Ico/Shadow of the Colossus
Okage
Buzz/Singstar

PS3:
Folklore
Little Big Planet
Linger in Shadows
Fat Princess
Tokyo Jungle
anything from ThatGameCompany
anything from Quantic Dream
move junk (Wonderbook, Eye of Judgement, etc)

There are easily more misses than hits in those lists, but it's never stopped SCE from developing and publishing games with little to no proven market, and looking at the list I don't see anything that I have any confidence Microsoft would have supported at that same point in time. Those games do better on Sony platforms because Sony established themselves as the Company more willing to take chances a long time ago. There was a good opportunity for Xbox to be that place last gen but they never really capitalized.

 

[btags]

Steam has more games I would want to play than the PS4 does.

I was not trying to say there are more games I want to play on ps4, to be clear. I am trying to say that with large numbers of games being released, the majority tend to be trash. So having a lot of games being released is not an indicator of greatness per se.

 

[le.phat]

I'd prefer to not get bad games. That's all I wanted to say.

Edit: I'm just having the feeling that we're getting more bad indie games this gen than last gen.

"i prefer not to get bad games." What does that even mean ?
Does a severe lack of game annoucements somehow shield xbox xbox gamers from bad games ? Nope.

Does having more games available somehow force you to 'get bad games' ? Nope

Are you making really dumb excuses for having less options to spend your money on quality software ? Yup.

It's that ignorance that i mentioned earlier. There is 0 reason to think this is so. The indie scene has stabilised and matured to the point that they can easily make up for the lack mid range software in an age where only AAA counts, and the often times they can easily match or surpass their AAA peers in many ways.

 

[LewieP]

I was not trying to say there are more games I want to play on ps4, to be clear. I am trying to say that with large numbers of games being released, the majority tend to be trash. So having a lot of games being released is not an indicator of greatness per se.

Sure, and I am trying to say that the best way to ensure you have the largest number of games that people want to play is to not arbitrarily turn games away.

 

[Klart]

Interview - Chris Charla talks Rocket League and more!!

We spoke on Rocket League coming to Xbox One!

Chris Charla on Rocket League: "talk to Psyonix"

God. Such dirty click bait bullshit.

 

[AlphaDump]

Parity Clause: It's Probably Gone

Not so sure about that. I have a friend developing a game he got kickstarted. Ultimately, chose the wiiu due to cost. He mentioned Sony being expensive to rent devkits, and then mentioned MS having very bad policies around indies. I said was it the parity clause and he immediately interupted me and said, "wow, youve done your homework". He then got super cagey about providing any info about it. Apparently it has very strong NDA language. He has no idea i read gaf or follow the industry.

Granted this may have changed recently but no,it certainly existed and directly impacted my indie dev friend's decision to release it.

Maybe others can chime in.

 

[Infernostew]

I see Octodad is mentioned as not having any other content in the OP but didn't they get past that by adding a couple achievements that weren't on ps4 as "something extra"?

 

[Gipsy Danger]

I was not trying to say there are more games I want to play on ps4, to be clear. I am trying to say that with large numbers of games being released, the majority tend to be trash. So having a lot of games being released is not an indicator of greatness per se.

If you add more games there is an equal chance you'll add as many good games as bad games. Even on Steam a majority of games have a rating of 70%>.

 

[Melchiah]

Not so sure about that. I have a friend developing a game he got kickstarted. Ultimately, chose the wiiu due to cost. He mentioned Sony being expensive to rent devkits, and then mentioned MS having very bad policies around indies. I said was it the parity clause and he immediately interupted me and said, "wow, youve done your homework". He then got super cagey about providing any info about it. Apparently it has very strong NDA language. He has no idea i read gaf or follow the industry.

Granted this may have changed recently but no,it certainly existed and directly impacted my indie dev friend's decision to release it.

Maybe others can chime in.

So, if this is still true, it seems like they use the NDA to silence the developers from contradicting the PR that says there's no parity clause.

 

[SEGAvangelist]

I see Octodad is mentioned as not having any other content in the OP but didn't they get past that by adding a couple achievements that weren't on ps4 as "something extra"?

They added some pants that were DLC in the PS4 version too.

 

[AlphaDump]

So, if this is still true, it seems like they use the NDA to silence the developers from contradicting the PR that says there's no parity clause.

Ive known the guy for more than 15 years, i dont work in the industry, and he couldnt even talk about it with me. He explictly called out language in contract about not being able to when i asked about it. He only really reacted bc how the hell would i know the clauses name. It surprised him.

 

[Jacksinthe]

It'll save you a lot of time. We've now setup everything so it's just switch platform and build on PS4, PSVita, Wii U, iOS, PC and Mac.
Maybe it requires a bit of fiddling around in the beginning but once it work...

Thank hell. I probably should have given myself a proper Unity introduction but I was always a logic kind of programmer so I just dove right into game mechanics and the like. I dont usually dive into editor functionality unless I need it - which requires me to know it exists. I tried doing something similar but never knew the calls and Unity docs leave a lot to be desired when looking for specifics. Thanks heaps, man.

 

[paragonpro]

It really sucks that im not going to be able to play soma, rapture, or fire watch on my xbox one, the indie difference is why I want a ps4 to acompany my bone right now.

 

[Pez]

It's pretty clear that if you release your game first on PS4, you have to give the Xbox One version some form of exclusive content to make it appear "new" or have the ability to market itself with "new content exclusive to Xbox One".

That's the parity clause and it isn't doing MS' image any favors. No one thinks of Shovel Knight and goes, "I have to play against Kratos/the Battletoads".

Instead, the line of thought goes "It's Shovel Knight, I just want Shovel Knight, give me Shovel Knight on the system I decided to purchase."

Locking/keeping content away from consumers is ultimately punishing them for buying an Xbox One.

 

[Melchiah]

Ive known the guy for more than 15 years, i dont work in the industry, and he couldnt even talk about it with me. He explictly called out language in contract about not being able to when i asked about it. He only really reacted bc how the hell would i know the clauses name. It surprised him.

Sounds like there's something going on behind the scenes, that Microsoft isn't willing to reveal to the public.

It really sucks that im not going to be able to play soma, rapture, or fire watch on my xbox one, the indie difference is why I want a ps4 to acompany my bone right now.

And The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, which is somewhat similar to those.

It's pretty clear that if you release your game first on PS4, you have to give the Xbox One version some form of exclusive content to make it appear "new" or have the ability to market itself with "new content exclusive to Xbox One".

That's the parity clause and it isn't doing MS' image any favors. No one thinks of Shovel Knight and goes, "I have to play against Kratos/the Battletoads".

Instead, the line of thought goes "It's Shovel Knight, I just want Shovel Knight, give me Shovel Knight on the system I decided to purchase."

Locking/keeping content away from consumers is ultimately punishing them for buying an Xbox One.

I wonder what exactly could developers possibly add to story-driven games, like the ones mentioned above? It would be hard to add something more meaningful there without it affecting the story, so what it leaves, more collectibles? And who's going to pay for making the additions?

 

[Goodacre0081]

If there’s a developer who’s building a game and they just can’t get the game done for both platforms – cool. We’ll take a staggered release.

and if you can do a simultaneous release but decide not to for any reason then they basically say fuck off and reserve the right to lock you out of the clubhouse?

that is a policy that deserves to be mocked and raked over the coals too.

 

[Robert at Zeboyd Games]

Can only talk about my own experience, but Sony (via Shane Bettenhausen) was the only one of the big 3 that actively pursued getting our games. Not saying that Xbox or Nintendo were unpleasant towards us or anything, they just ignored us (despite us having released some of the better received games on Microsoft's own Xbox Live Indie Games platform). In contrast, Shane contacted us and tried to get our Penny Arcade games on the PSN back in 2012 (it didn't work out due to logistics) and didn't give up when that didn't work out.

Looking back at my email, we get this timeline:

Mid 2012 - Shane tries to get Penny Arcade 3 & 4 on the PSN. Doesn't work out (XNA made it hard to port and they weren't popular enough for a delayed port to make financial sense)
Feb 2013 - Sony wants our next game on their platform. We first mention the idea for Cosmic Star Heroine but haven't decided for sure that it will be our next game.
Mid 2013 - We decide Cosmic Star Heroine will be our next game (other ideas presented to Sony were remakes & sequels of Breath of Death VII & Cthulhu Saves the World and a zombie apocalypse Horror/RPG). We discuss logistics of getting Sony support for our upcoming Kickstarter (PSN codes for backers).
Aug 2013 - We debut the Sega CD-style trailer for Cosmic Star Heroine at PAX at a Sony indie party.

 

[Apathy]

I'd prefer to not get bad games. That's all I wanted to say.

Edit: I'm just having the feeling that we're getting more bad indie games this gen than last gen.

You know no one is forcing you to play "bad indie games" if you don't want. Microsoft isn't going to automatically charge you for the games and make you play them. If they are bad to you, they might not be bad to other people that want them (even if you consider scores, some people might actually enjoy some game that scores low but you didn't. Conversely, if you don't like a 9.0+ game let's say and you think it's bad, someone else might think it's good). Opening up to get as many indie games in the Live marketplace is not somehow making it worse for you. This seems to be the old rhetoric of "Xbox users are first class citizens" that Phil was spewing as a positive for the policy. It's like saying "I don't like generic corn flakes at the supermarket, they are bad. Real corn flakes are the only thing there to avoid those bad corn flakes" even though they don't affect you being there.

 

[Spider_Jerusalem]

Xbox One is getting tons of indies nowadays. I really don't see it lagging behind PS4 in terms of quantity. Their problem, though, is communication. Some games get very stealth releases, nooone knows they're coming or they've been released.

Take this for example, it just appeared on the store: https://store.xbox.com/Xbox-One/Games/Rock-N-Racing-Off-Road-DX/46db17fe-5c30-42ed-a426-eafbe13e6146

And today Bedlam came on Xbox One too, while we only knew it was coming to PSN this week. They've really got to fix this. Something like Sony's The Drop blog posts would be awesome.

 

[Head.spawn]

Xbox One is getting tons of indies nowadays. I really don't see it lagging behind PS4 in terms of quantity. Their problem, though, is communication. Some games get very stealth releases, nooone knows they're coming or they've been released.

Take this for example, it just appeared on the store: https://store.xbox.com/Xbox-One/Games/Rock-N-Racing-Off-Road-DX/46db17fe-5c30-42ed-a426-eafbe13e6146

And today Bedlam came on Xbox One too, while we only knew it was coming to PSN this week. They've really got to fix this. Something like Sony's The Drop blog posts would be awesome.

They have created an app called, "Community Calender", that has all upcoming game releases dates, DLC days, live id@xbox live streams, special events, sales, free game days etc etc... This game was listed there; the app is currently in beta testing.

I knew it was coming because they said so on idatxbox.com though. If you are into games and interested in Xbox releases, I'd bookmark that site. It is awesome.