Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
ID@Xbox Program Passes $500,000,000 In Sales
A tweet by ID@Xbox confirmed today that sales from games by independent developers have crossed the $500,000,000 threshold since the program started in 2014.
The program is a suite intended to supply developers with everything they need to publish on the Xbox One in exchange for partnering with Microsoft. It gives two free devkits, free access to Unity, waiver of any updating fees, and more to ensure indie developers don't endure a financial burden while publishing on the Xbox One. Some notable ID@Xbox partners are Double Fine, Capybera, WayForward, and plenty others.
The milestone marking for their sales is an important PR-facing announcement, as Microsoft's reputation among indie developers has not been kind to the manufacturer. But as surprisingly huge successes like Cuphead by StudioMDHR show, there is money to be made with the program, and Microsoft desperately wants to get that message out.
[Source: ID@Xbox Official Twitter]
Our Take
Indie success is fairly important for consoles and Microsoft accidentally let Sony run away with it at the beginning of the generation. Now that Sony seems to have loosened their grip on indies, Microsoft needs to put forth all its best arguments why Xbox One is the place to be.
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
