Rumour: Microsoft to allow self-published games on Xbox 360

Self-publishing games on Xbox 360 –and subsequently XBLA – will soon be a reality, at least according to one developer who claims to have heard the info directly from Microsoft.

Posting on The Pinball Arcade’s official Steam community page, developer FarSight Studios states that Microsoft has confirmed its intentions to allow game makers launch their own titles without a publisher.

"Microsoft has just announced that indie developers (like FarSight) can now self-publish on Xbox Live Arcade instead of being required to find publishers for their games," the update reads.

"Microsoft has stated that the new program will open in August- we will do everything we can to get The Pinball Arcade (and all of the new Table Packs) back on the Xbox 360 as quickly as possible."

A Microsoft spokesperson has since told Joystiq that the firm has made no announcements regarding any 360 policy changes, but wouldn’t outright deny FarSight’s claims.

Microsoft just last week announced that indie developers will have the option to self-publish on Xbox One, but no applicable policy changes for its current generation hardware were mentioned at the time.