Microsoft has revealed that Indie developers will not be able to self
publish game to their new next generation Xbox One console.
Unlike Valve with Steam games network, Sony’s PlayStation Store, and
Nintendo’s eShop, all of which allow developers to self publish.
Xbox One Indie developers will have to pursue a publishing deal
either with Microsoft or a third-party to get their games on to the Xbox
One console. Matt Booty Xbox Live general manager of Redmond Game
Studios and Platforms explained:
“As of right now, yes. We intend to continue to court developers
in the ways that we have.”-”I would also expect that for this new
generation, that we’re going to continue to explore new business models
and new ways of surfacing content. But Microsoft Studios is a publisher
that works with a wide range of partners, as do a lot of other people,
to bring digital content to the box.”
It will be interesting to see if Microsoft change their mind once the
Xbox One has officially launched, and follows suit with other games
networks.