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July 26, 2013

Xbox One to allow indie games makers to self-publish

Microsoft reverses policy which only allowed games from ‘recognised’ publishers.

By Joe Curtis

Microsoft has performed a u-turn of its policy to deny indie games makers the chance to create games for its forthcoming Xbox One games console.

Independent developers will now be able to make and publish games on the new Xbox, said the tech giant, as well as being allowed to set their own prices.

The move is the first major announcement by the company since Don Mattrick left his post as boss of the Xbox division earlier this month to become the boss of games developer Zynga.

Marc Whiten, corporate VP of Xbox, said: "Our vision is that every person can be a creator. That every Xbox One can be used for development. That every game and experience can take advantage of all of the features of Xbox One and Xbox Live. This means self-publishing."

It is a reversal of Microsoft’s previous announcement that it would only accept games from recognised publishers.

The former policy for the Xbox One, due in November, contrasted with Sony’s strategy for the Playstation 4, due out in the same month, which involves having an indie games section on its Playstation Store.

Many developers have eschewed major consoles in favour of making games for mobile phones and browser platforms, which is a cheaper option.

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