Microsoft promises Xbox One indie support

Microsoft has promised a program to support indie developers on the Xbox One.

Last week’s reveal of the new console was followed by the announcement that XBLA would not appear on the Xbox One and the news that indies would not be able to self-publish on the platform.

Now Kotaku reports that Microsoft Interactive Entertainment chief Don Mattrick has promised the Xbox One will offer support for independent developers.

"We’re going to have an independent creator program," said Mattrick.

"We’re going to sponsor it. We’re going to give people tools. We’re going to give more information."

While not mentioning the controversial self-publishing decision, Mattrick said he and his company felt that indie gaming was important.

"That’s how I started in the industry," he said.

"There’s no way we’re going to build a box that doesn’t support that."

The Xbox Live Arcade was once the go-to console destination for indie game developers, but Sony has made big strides in challenging Microsoft’s hegemony and the growth of platforms like iOS, Android, Steam, Desura, and Humble Bundle have given developers the ability to reach a massive audience without the need for a publisher.

Even so, Mattrick pointed to the continued success of indie games on the Xbox 360.

"Indie creators exist right inside our ecosystem," he said.

"Probably the best example of a huge success is Minecraft. The work that Notch did [was] pretty amazing in the PC space."

Since then, the console port of the world builder by Scotland-based 4J Studios has broken every record on XBLA, and has even challenged some of gaming’s biggest triple-A franchises.

"We’re going to support those guys," Mattrick said.