ID@Xbox

ID@Xbox

Developer	Microsoft Studios
Launch date	2014
Platform	Xbox One, Windows
Status	Released
Website	Official website

ID@Xbox (Independent Developers @ Xbox) is a program by Microsoft allowing independent video game developers to self-publish titles for Windows and the Xbox One home video game console.

Overview

ID@Xbox was announced by Xbox Vice President Phil Harrison at Gamescom on August 20, 2013. Chris Charla is director of the program.^[1]

Developers who are registered in the program get access to two development kits at no cost, as well as access to all required technical documentation. Additionally, there will be no fees to update any game submitted through the program. Games released through the program also have access to all Xbox One and Xbox Live components, including Kinect, Achievements and Xbox SmartGlass.^[2] Developers in the program also receive access to the Unity engine as well as an optional subscription to Unreal Engine 4.^[3][4]

Reception

A number of indie game developers have praised the introduction of the ID@Xbox program. Developers involved in the program have been impressed by Microsoft's responsiveness and the support provided on any issues that arise. The appointment of Chris Charla as director of ID@Xbox was met with positive reception, due to his background and previous involvement in the video game industry.^[5]

However, the program has received criticism for enforcing a launch date parity policy which means that developers can only release their titles on Xbox One if they haven't been released on other consoles first. Many developer have called for the policy to be dropped; Microsoft has since dropped the parity clause.^[6][7][8][9]

Notable developers

The following developers have been mentioned as being a part of the ID@Xbox program.^[10][11]

• 4gency
• A Crowd of Monsters
• Alientrap Games
• Behaviour Interactive
• The Behemoth
• BetaDwarf
• Big Ant Studios
• Bloober Team
• Blowfish Studios
• Bongfish
• Born Ready
• Brain in a Jar
• Brainy Studio LLC
• Brushfire Games
• Capybara Games
• Cerulean Games
• Cherry Pop Games Ltd
• Codeglue
• Code-Monkeys
• Comcept
• Compulsion Games
• Crunching Koalas
• Crytek
• Deco Digital
• Definition 6 (Chris Hecker)
• Double Eleven
• Double Fine
• DrinkBox Studios
• Empty Clip Studios
• Escalation Studios
• EXOR Studios
• FarSight Studios
• Fatshark
• Flix Interactive
• Four Door Lemon Ltd
• Frambosa
• Frima Studio
• Gaijin Games
• Glass Bottom Games
• Happion Labs
• Halfbrick Studios
• Haruneko
• HB Studios
• Headup Games
• Heart Machine
• Hidden Path Entertainment
• High Voltage Software
• Holmade Games
• Hollow Robot
• Humble Hearts LLC
• I Fight Bears
• Implausible Industries
• iNiS
• Iridium Studios
• Iron Galaxy Studios
• iSquared Games Ltd
• Jackbox Games
• Larian Studios
• LeagueGaming.com
• Mediatonic
• MeinMein
• Mighty Rabbit Studios
• Midgar Studio
• Mimimi Productions
• nDreams
• NeocoreGames
• Nicalis
• NinjaBee
• No Goblin
• n-Space
• Other Ocean
• Panic Button
• Piwot
• Pixel Balloon
• Pixelbomb Games
• Playdead
• Rebellion Developments
• Relentless Software
• RetroCoders
• Ripstone
• Robomodo
• Serenity Forge
• Signal Studios
• Ska Studios
• Slightly Mad Studios
• Smudged Cat Games Ltd
• Snowrunner
• Spry Fox
• Team Colorblind
• The Men Who Wear Many Hats
• The Odd Gentlemen
• Tiny Castle Studios
• Toxic Games
• True Illusion Software
• Vector Unit
• Vertigo Games BV
• Vertex Gaming Network
• Vlambeer
• VooFoo Studios
• Warhorse Studios
• WaterMelon
• WayForward Technologies
• Xona Games
• Zeboyd Games
• Zen Studios
• Zoë Mode

Upcoming games

The following is a list of upcoming games releasing through ID@Xbox:^[12]

• Amazing Princess Sarah by Haruneko
• Ark: Survival Evolved by Studio Wildcard and Instinct Games^[13]
• Aztez by Team Colourblind
• Blues and Bullets by A Crowd of Monsters
• Below by Capybara Games
• Beyond Eyes by Sherida Halatoe^[14]
• Beyond Flesh and Blood by Pixelbomb Games
• Pool Nation FX by Cherry Pop Games
• Ninja Cowboys
• Mortar Melon by Mudvark Games
• The ARC
• Calibre 10 Racing Series by Bongfish GmbH
• Chuck’s Challenge 3D by Niffler
• Cuphead by StudioMDHR
• Dad Beat Dads by Stellar Jay Studios
• Dungeon of the Endless by Amplitude Studios
• Forced by BetaDwarf ApS
• FRU by Through Games
• Fruit Ninja Kinect 2
• The Flame In The Flood by The Molasses Flood^[14]
• Gunscape by Blowfish Studios
• Ghost of a Tale by SeithCG
• Goat Simulator by Coffee Stain Studios and Double Eleven
• Habitat by 4gency
• Hyper Light Drifter by Heart Machine
• Inside by Playdead
• Katie and Orbie by HumaNature Studios
• Lifeless Planet by Stage 2 Studios
• Massive Chalice by Double Fine Productions
• Miss Continentes Unidos by Signal Studios
• No Time to Explain
• Pixel Galaxy by Serenity Forge
• Pneuma: Breath of Life by Deco Digital
• Plague Inc: Evolved by Ndemic Creations
• Q.U.B.E. Director’s Cut by Toxic Games
• R.B.I. Baseball 15 by MLB Advanced Media
• Rivals of Aether
• Roundabout by No Goblin
• SlashDash by Nevernaut Games
• Smite by Hi-Rez Studios
• Soccer Legend Online by True Illusion Software
• Space Engineers by Keen Software House
• Spectra: 8bit Racing by Gateway Interactive
• SpeedRunners
• Submerged by Uppercut Games^[14]
• Superhot by SUPERHOT Team
• TurnOn by Brainy Studio LLC^[15]
• Totally Spies! by Zoë Mode
• Wulverblade by Darkwind Media

Games released through ID@Xbox

Title	Developer(s)	Release date	Games with Gold	Ref.
#IDARB (It Draws A Red Box)	Other Ocean	February 1, 2015	February 2015	[16][17]
1001 Spikes	Nicalis, Inc.	June 10, 2014		[18]
Another World – 20th Anniversary Edition	The Digital Lounge, Martial Hesse-Dreville, Eric Chahi	June 25, 2014		[19]
Boom Ball for Kinect	Virtual Air Guitar Company Oy	November 27, 2014		[20]
CastleStorm - Definitive Edition	Zen Studios	September 24, 2014	May 2015	[21]
Chariot	Frima Studio	October 1, 2014	October 2014	[22]
Contrast	Compulsion Games	June 26, 2014		[19]
Divekick: Addition Edition +	Iron Galaxy Studios, LLC	October 8, 2014		[23]
Fibbage: The Hilarious Bluffing Party Game	Jackbox Games, Inc.	August 21, 2014		[24]
Flockers	Team17 Digital Ltd.	September 19, 2014		[25]
Funk of Titans	A Crowd of Monsters	January 9, 2015		[26]
Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams - Director's Cut	Black Forest Games GmbH	December 12, 2014		[27]
Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition	DrinkBox Studios	July 2, 2014	July 2014	[28]
KickBeat Special Edition	Zen Studios	September 26, 2014		[29]
Limbo	Playdead, Double Eleven	December 5, 2014	Xbox One Early Adopters	[30]
Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime	Asteroid Base	September 9, 2015		[31]
Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna)	Upper One Games, E-Line Media	November 19, 2014		[32]
Nutjitsu	NinjaBee	May 8, 2014		[33]
Outlast	Red Barrels	June 19, 2014		[34]
Pier Solar and the Great Architects	WaterMelon	November 21, 2014		[35]
Pinball FX 2	Zen Studios	August 14, 2014		[36]
Pneuma: Breath of Life	Deco Digital & Bevel Studios	February 27, 2015		[37]
Pure Pool	VooFoo Studios, Ripstone	November 14, 2014		[38]
R.B.I. Baseball 14	MLB, MLB.com	June 24, 2014		[39]
Riptide GP2	Vector Unit	January 23, 2015		[40]
Sixty Second Shooter Prime	Happion Laboratories	June 19, 2014		[41]
Slender: The Arrival	Blue Isle Studios	March 25, 2015
Stick It To The Man	Zoink! Games, Ripstone	August 28, 2014		[42]
Strike Suit Zero: Director's Cut	Born Ready Games	April 8, 2014	August 2014	[43][44]
Super Time Force	Capy	May 14, 2014	September 2014	[45][46]
The Escapists	Team17 Digital Ltd., Mouldy Toof Studios	February 13, 2015		[47]
The Golf Club	HB Studios	August 19, 2014		[48]
The Jackbox Party Pack	Jackbox Games, Inc.	November 19, 2014		[49]
The Pinball Arcade	FarSight Studios	November 25, 2014		[50]
Thomas Was Alone	Mike Bithell, Curve Studios, Curve Digital	November 21, 2014		[51]
Threes!	Sirvo, Hidden Variable Studios	December 5, 2014		[30]
Unmechanical: Extended	Grip Games, Talawa Games, Teotl Studios, Grip Digital sro	January 30, 2015		[52]
Volgarr the Viking	Crazy Viking Studios	October 31, 2014	November 2014	[53]
Warframe	Digital Extremes	September 2, 2014		[54]
Worms Battlegrounds	Team17 Digital Ltd.	May 30, 2014	December 2014	[55][56]
Zombie Driver Ultimate Edition	EXOR Studios	June 24, 2014		[57]

References

1. Charla, Chris (August 20, 2013). "Independent Developers @ Xbox, Spawning a New Wave of Innovation for Xbox One Games". Xbox Wire. Microsoft. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
2. "ID@Xbox". Xbox. Microsoft. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
3. Charla, Chris (November 5, 2013). "Announcing Unity for ID@Xbox Developers". Xbox Wire. Microsoft. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
4. "ID@Xbox Developers Get Unreal Engine 4 for Xbox One". Xbox Wire. Microsoft. April 24, 2014. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
5. Makedonski, Brett (March 20, 2014). "What do indie developers think about the ID@Xbox program?". Destructoid. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
6. Yin-Poole, Wesley (December 9, 2014). "Microsoft's ID@Xbox policy means this indie twin-stick shooter can't launch on Xbox One". Eurogamer. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
7. Karmali, Luke (May 1, 2014). "Xbox One Parity Clause a 'Shame' Says Stealth Inc. Dev". IGN. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
8. Philips, Tom (October 10, 2014). "Microsoft's indie parity clause exists so Xbox One owners feel "first class"". Eurogamer. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
9. Staff, GamesRadar (July 26, 2015). "Phil Spencer on parity, controllers & why Sony does such a good job in Europe". GamesRadar. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
10. Charla, Chris (December 4, 2013). "Developers Sign On to ID@Xbox". Xbox Wire. Microsoft. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
11. Charla, Chris (February 27, 2014). "New Developers Sign On to ID@Xbox". Xbox Wire. Microsoft. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
12. Moriarty, Colin (June 9, 2014). "E3 2014: A Ton of New Indie Games Coming to Xbox One". IGN. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
13. "Ark: Survival Evolved Available Now for Mac and Linux on Steam Early Access" (Press release). Seattle, Washington: Studio Wildcard. July 1, 2015. Archived from the original on July 2, 2015. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
14. "Whole new world: The exploration-focused ID@Xbox games coming to Xbox One". April 5, 2015. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
15. E3 2015 brings new trailers!
16. Judd, Alex (January 21, 2015). "#IDARB Gameday Challenge!". ID@Xbox. Microsoft. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
17. "It’s Cold! Bundle Up with Some Hot Deals with February Games with Gold". Xbox Wire. Microsoft. January 28, 2015. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
18. Hryb, Larry (June 10, 2014). "1001 Spikes is Now Available on Xbox One". Major Nelson's blog. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
19. "Another World 20th Anniversary Edition is Now Available on Xbox One". Xbox Wire. Microsoft. June 25, 2013. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
20. Hryb, Larry (November 27, 2014). "Boom Ball for Kinect is Now Available for Xbox One". Major Nelson's blog. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
21. Hryb, Larry (September 24, 2014). "CastleStorm – Definitive Edition Is Now Available for Xbox One". Major Nelson's blog. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
22. Hryb, Larry (October 1, 2014). "Chariot is Now Available for Xbox One (and free for Xbox Live Gold members)". Major Nelson's blog. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
23. Lee, Ben (October 7, 2014). "Divekick releasing on PS4 and Xbox One this week". Digital Spy. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
24. Hryb, Larry (August 21, 2014). "Fibbage: The Hilarious Bluffing Party Game is Now Available on Xbox One". Major Nelson's blog. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
25. Whitehead, Dan (September 11, 2014). "Flockers review". Eurogamer. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
26. Hryb, Larry (January 9, 2015). "Funk of Titans is now available for Xbox One". Major Nelson's blog. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
27. Martin, Liam (November 27, 2014). "Giana Sisters Xbox One, PS4 December release date announced". Digital Spy. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
28. Matulef, Jeffrey (June 27, 2014). "Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition is July's new Xbox One Games with Gold offering". Eurogamer. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
29. Hryb, Larry (September 26, 2014). "KickBeat Special Edition Now Available for Xbox One". Major Nelson's blog. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
30. Sarkar, Samit (December 3, 2014). "Threes! and Limbo launching Dec. 5 on Xbox One". Polygon. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
31. "Lovers In A Dangerous Spacetime Official Homepage". Retrieved November 13, 2015.
32. Hryb, Larry (November 19, 2014). "Never Alone is Now Available for Xbox One". Major Nelson's blog. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
33. Hryb, Larry (May 8, 2014). "Nutjitsu is Now Available on Xbox One". Major Nelson's blog. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
34. Philips, Tom (June 19, 2014). "Creepy horror Outlast available for Xbox One today". Eurogamer. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
35. Hryb, Larry (November 21, 2014). "Pier Solar and the Great Architects is Now Available for Xbox One". Major Nelson's blog. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
36. Philips, Tom (August 14, 2014). "Pinball FX2 finally available on Xbox One". Eurogamer. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
37. "Pneuma: Breath of Life is a First-Person Puzzler Coming to Xbox One". xboxachievements.com. 7 August 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
38. Scullion, Chris (November 14, 2014). "Pure Pool released on Xbox One". Computer and Video Games. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
39. Sarkar, Samit (June 18, 2014). "R.B.I. Baseball 14 hits June 24 on PS4 and Xbox One, online multiplayer coming in July". Polygon. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
40. Hryb, Larry (January 23, 2015). "Riptide GP2 now available for Xbox One". Major Nelson's blog. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
41. Philips, Tom (June 19, 2014). "ID@Xbox title Sixty Second Shooter Prime launches today". Eurogamer. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
42. Yin-Poole, Wesley (August 28, 2014). "Stick it to the Man! launches on Xbox One today". Eurogamer. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
43. Hryb, Larry (April 8, 2015). "Strike Suit Zero: Director’s Cut is Now Available on Xbox One". Major Nelson's blog. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
44. Makuch, Eddie (July 28, 2015). "Xbox One and Xbox 360 Free August Games With Gold Titles Include Crimson Dragon, Dishonored". GameSpot. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
45. Donlan, Christian (May 13, 2014). "Super Time Force review". Eurogamer. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
46. Matulef, Jeffrey (August 28, 2014). "Monaco and Halo: Reach headline September's Games with Gold offerings". Eurogamer. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
47. Hryb, Larry (February 10, 2015). "The Escapists Now Available for Digital Pre-order and Pre-download on Xbox One". Major Nelson's blog. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
48. Philips, Tom (August 19, 2014). "Pretty sports sim The Golf Club launches for PC, Xbox One". Eurogamer. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
49. Hryb, Larry (November 19, 2014). "The Jackbox Party Pack is Now Available for Xbox One". Major Nelson's blog. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
50. Hryb, Larry (November 25, 2014). "The Pinball Arcade is Now Available for Xbox One". Major Nelson's blog. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
51. Hryb, Larry (November 21, 2014). "Thomas Was Alone is Now Available for Xbox One". Major Nelson's blog. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
52. Hryb, Larry (January 30, 2015). "Unmechanical: Extended now available for Xbox One". Major Nelson's blog. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
53. Hryb, Larry (October 31, 2014). "Volgarr the Viking is Now Available for Xbox One (Free for XBL Gold)". Major Nelson's blog. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
54. Philips, Tom (September 2, 2014). "Free-to-play shooter Warframe now available on Xbox One". Eurogamer. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
55. Karmali, Luke (May 19, 2014). "Worms Battlegrounds Gets PS4 and Xbox One Release Date". IGN. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
56. McWhertor, Michael (November 26, 2014). "Xbox Live Gold subscribers get free SSX and Worms in December". Polygon. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
57. Hryb, Larry (June 24, 2014). "Zombie Driver Ultimate Edition is Now Available on Xbox One". Major Nelson's blog. Retrieved February 7, 2015.

External links

• ID@Xbox website