There Will Be No Xbox One Indie Games At Launch

When Microsoft marketed their upcoming console as future proof, they really should have focused on creating it for the present, as well. In an interview with GamesIndustry, Microsoft’s corporate vice president Phil Harrison said that there will be no indie games for the Xbox One at launch.

"I don’t think we’re going to see [indie games] at launch. I don’t think it’s realistic to see a developer get the programme and build a game and get it into the market on November 22. It’s reasonable to expect in early 2014 we’ll start seeing the first games come through."

The program mentioned is ID@Xbox, the Independent Developers system in which qualifying developers can create games using an Xbox One dev kit. It was revealed back at gamescom in late August, which does explain why indie games will only be making their way to the Xbox One in early 2014.

It is odd to see, however, that Microsoft will be coming into the indie games market late this upcoming generation. This is the company that has championed the Xbox Live Arcade and console indie development on the Xbox and Xbox 360. It’s the company that help bring odd and innocative breakout hits like, “Deadlight,” “I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MBIES!!!1,” “Cthulhu Saves The World,” and “Mount Your Friends,” and now it seems like indie games have really been shifting their focus towards Sony’s PS4 and PS Vita devices.

Xbox One will be launching worldwide on November 22, with plenty of indie games expected to make their way onto the console starting in early 2014.