Xbox head Don Mattrick has attempted to dispel one of the many rumors circulating about Microsoft’s next-gen device since its official reveal last week: that Xbox One wouldn’t allow indies to self-publish.
“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.”
Though he wouldn’t go so far as to get into self-publishing and didn’t want to share specifics, Mattrick was more than willing to speak of his love for independent game development. He emphasized that indie designers “exist right inside our ecosystem,” praised the success of Minecraft, and his own career origins. Mattrick started out in the game industry designing racing games such as Test Drive.
“That is something we think — I think — is important,” he stated regarding an indie program. “That’s how I started in the industry. There’s no way we’re going to build a box that doesn’t support that.”
If he hadn’t already made his point, Mattrick reiterated it one final time during his interview with Kotaku to ease all fears indie fans may have regarding the Xbox One.
“We’re going to support those guys,” he said.
The Xbox 360 saw plenty of Microsoft-published indie success, but not much self-publishing. Do you believe Microsoft will take the next step and allow for it on the Xbox One? Will the company reveal that information in just under two weeks at E3? Let us know your thoughts!
[Kotaku]
