E3 2013: Microsoft asserts support for indies

Phil Harrison has taken to the stage at the Microsoft E3 press conference to reveal an Xbox One version of Minecraft and state that indies and developers are important to Microsoft.

"Fostering a global community of developers is pivotal to Xbox One," said Harrison, before repeatedly referencing indies and how much they mean to him personally and the Xbox One.

"The platform features capabilities exclusive to Xbox One that really allow developers to push the boundaries of creativity and push gaming in new directions," he added.

Then a short video of Minecraft running on Xbox One was shown at the event, though no further details were confirmed.

Showing such an iconic indie title on stage was presumably an attempt at proving that indie matters to the console, after much negative reaction around Microsoft’s apparent decision to exclude indies without a publishing partner.

Harrison said on stage that "nobody has been more committed to supporting indie developers than Xbox", before committing further support to the sector on Xbox One.

He added that indies has generated over $1 billion on Xbox platforms, while Microsoft has also helped bring over 200 games to Xbox.

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