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The Banner Saga 2 confirms trek to PS4, Xbox One, PC
The Banner Saga 2 further unraveled today to reveal PS4, Xbox One (via ID@Xbox) and PC as its platforms, along with a 2015 release window. Following its succinct reveal at last week's Game Awards there's not much more to go on than that, we're afraid. More details are due in early 2015, publisher Versus Evil says, but for now you can watch the trailer below the break. Meanwhile, true to its name, the first Banner Saga continues to make news with the recent announcement of a Vita port. That's in addition to the previously confirmed voyage to PS4, which itself is due in early 2015. [Update: According to an ESRB rating published last week, The Banner Saga is also on the way to Xbox One]
Xbox head Phil Spencer defends ID@Xbox parity clause
The ID@Xbox parity clause that requires indie games to launch on Xbox One at the same time as on other platforms (unless they already have an exclusivity deal and, we imagine, a bunch of other legal red tape) is meant to make each Xbox One owner feel like a "first-class citizen," according to Phil Spencer, head of Xbox. "I look at all the people who buy an Xbox, and they invest their time and their money in Xbox One, and, as millions of people obviously own Xbox Ones, I want them to feel like they're first-class, because they are," Spencer said earlier this week on The Inner Circle, an Xbox-oriented podcast. "I don't want somebody to come in and just think, 'I'm going to go do a special game on one platform and then I'll get to Xbox whenever I get to it,' because I don't think that's right," Spencer continued. "But I also get that, hey, for some guys, they just can't afford the time to get both done, so we've just entered into conversations with people as they're launching, and I feel pretty good about the plan." Despite the positive sentiment shared, Spencer's statements on the podcast sparked a reaction thread on NeoGAF, which was generally unimpressed. When the thread was brought to his attention via Twitter, Spencer responded, "I see the feedback on my stance on the clause, I want to rethink how we approach this, responses are heard."
ID@Xbox developers achieve Unity
The Unity engine, known for powering independently-developed games like Slender: The Eight Pages and Oddworld: New N Tasty, has come to Xbox One. Any developers signed on as part of the ID@Xbox program with an Xbox One dev kit now have access to the engine completely free of charge, Unity (the company) announced via its blog. The build available now is version 4.3, but Unity 5.0 is the goal. "Unity 5.0 will eventually be our recommended version for all Xbox One development," the blog states. "However, we will continue to make updates for the Unity 4.3 version of the product including XDK upgrades into 2015 to ensure teams that have already built to this version of the product can ship." That's good news for several high-profile Xbox One games that are already using Unity, including Ori and the Blind Forest, Cuphead and Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime. [Image: Moon Studios]
Smaller games 'great candidates' for Xbox Games with Gold
Above: Goat Simulator, coming to Xbox One When mind-bender Braid came to Xbox Live Arcade in 2008, it felt emblematic of a curated platform: a boutique in which unique concepts and independent developers could gain exposure. Now the boutique is long gone and independent games are plentiful, mingling with AAA games right there in the living room, for better or worse. Games like the time-stopping shooter, Super Hot, are now regularly shown beneath lit-up Xbox and PlayStation logos at major press briefings, though they're not typically explored in depth. Instead, the presentation format seems to be cramming every confirmed game into a montage and shotgunning them into the audience. In the years since Braid, independent creations have gone from oddities to commodities, and they're "coming to our console first" – that's how the line goes.
PSA: August's Games With Gold now live
A new month brings with it new things. Most of them, like bills, aren't fun. But you know what is fun? Video games. And if you happen to be an Xbox Live Gold subscriber, there are four games you can snag this month for free, three of which have just gone live and are available right now. From today until August 15, you can dress your Xbox Avatar in some off-road gear and rev engines in Motorcross Madness for Xbox 360. Xbox One owners meanwhile can fly the unfriendly skies in either Crimson Dragon or Strike Suit Zero: Director's Cut. In the former, players control a dragon. In the latter, you'll get behind the flight stick of a transforming spaceship fighter. The only deal not currently active is the Games With Gold offer of Dishonored. But that's okay; being the stealthy assassin he is, we imagine Corvo is just taking his sweet time to line up the perfect kill. Dishonored will sneak out of Games With Gold's shadow on August 16 and remain free until August 31. [Image: Microsoft]
ID@Xbox devs would like early access too, please
Xbox developers are requesting the ability to participate in a Steam-style early access initiative, according to Chris Charla, director of the ID@Xbox program. In a recent interview with Develop, Charla said the issue was one he and his team think about "all the time." "It's something developers have been asking for, and we are listening really closely to developers," Charla said. Charla also noted that the conversation extends beyond Xbox. "There's a lot of heavy deep thinkers, experts, PhDs working on these problems at Xbox every day – not just for the Xbox store, but for Windows Store and Windows Phone. Our goal is to have a rational marketplace, where good games are visible and sell well." Early access is something of a new frontier for digital marketplaces, and Microsoft and Xbox aren't the only wagons on the trail; Sony's Adam Boyes recently said that he and his team are "figuring out what's OK" to implement on the PS4. [Image: Microsoft]
Warframe brings the free-to-play pain to Xbox One later this year
Developer Digital Extremes has announced that free-to-play shooter Warframe will make its Xbox One debut at some point in 2014 as one of the first, self-published ID@Xbox games. Warframe, which is currently available on the PlayStation 4 and PC, sees players strapping on "exo-skeletal" armor and gunning down futuristic ne'erdowells, either solo or in groups of up to four like-minded, trigger-happy warriors. Along with the standard Xbox One features like Game DVR, this latest iteration of Warframe will feature a Smartglass companion app dubbed the "Warframe Nexus" which offers mission alerts and other crucial information during gameplay. "Bringing Warframe to Xbox One is a no-brainer," said Digital Extremes creative director Steve Sinclair. "Our players have been asking for Warframe since the debut of the console and with the ID@Xbox Program, now we can make it happen. Having the freedom to develop and publish Warframe on our own terms is the true definition of independence to us. Warframe is a passion project for our team and building it alongside our players is a reality now with digital distribution." [Image: Digital Extremes]
ID@Xbox trailblazer Nutjitsu hits Xbox One
Nutjitsu is the second ID@XBox game to make it onto Xbox One, and you can grab the self-published offering now for $6.49. Developed by Keflings studio Ninjabee, the game's a top-down stealth puzzler in which you use ninja wiles to squirrel your way around samurai fox guards. Ninjabee released it on Windows Phone 8 last year, and this week's arrival on Xbox One represents its console debut. April saw the ID@Xbox program pump out its first game in Strike Suit Zero: Director's Cut. To name a few, other games on the way include Super Time Force - that's out next week - Guacamelee: Super Turbo CE, Divekick: Addition Edition, 1001 Spikes and Roundabout. [Image: Ninjabee]
Limo-spinner Roundabout coming to Xbox One, playable at PAX East
Remember that game about the spinning limo? It's called Roundabout and it's been confirmed for Xbox One today. Roundabout will be self-published by developer No Goblin through the ID@Xbox program. Roundabout, also coming to PC, Mac and Linux, is a game in which players attempt to guide a spinning limousine past urban obstacles and through narrow streets. Roundabout is the product of Dan Teasdale's No Goblin, an indie outfit he started after stints at Harmonix and Twisted Pixel. If you'd like to sample Roundabout ahead of its launch later this year, No Goblin will have a playable build on showcase at PAX East. This year's PAX East show takes place April 11 - 13 in downtown Boston, and will be held once again at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Unless you've already purchased your ticket, however, the odds of getting into PAX East are pretty much nonexistent. [Image: No Goblin]
Worms Battlegrounds announced for PS4, Xbox One via ID@Xbox
Team 17 announced it's bringing its warfaring invertebrates to Xbox One and PS4 in a new game called Worms Battlegrounds. According to the British studio, Battlegrounds will be one of the first games in Microsoft's ID@Xbox self-publishing program, which is expected to make its debut close to March. The game's official release window is 2014. Team 17 offered little to no info about the game itself in today's announcement, but we expect to learn more soon, given the imminence of ID@Xbox. Like a steeply launched homing missile, one thing that remains up in the air is a possible PC release; the game appeared on Steam's databases in November 2013. [Image: Team 17]
Keflings dev's Nutjitsu coming to Xbox One, says Microsoft exec
Stealthy puzzler Nutjitsu is in the opening batch of ID@Xbox games, according to Microsoft corporate VP Phil Spencer. Developed by A Kingdom for Keflings studio Ninjabee, Nutjitsu is a top-down affair in which you guide an adorable ninja squirrel through mazes guarded by equally cute samurai foxes. Ninjabee released it on Windows Phone 8 last year, and if Spencer's tweet is accurate, it's sneaking onto Xbox One shortly. Spencer also name-dropped a Worms game as one of the "first shipping" through the self-publishing ID@Xbox program. Worms dev Team 17 and Ninjabee are both confirmed as participating ID@Xbox developers, and Ninjabee's already said it's bringing Nutjitsu to a new platform for the studio, so the nuts stack up on this one. We've reached out to Team 17 for more details on the Worms game. Last we heard, ID@Xbox's debut was set for Q1 2014, and closer to March 2014 according to program director Chris Charla. Update: Team 17 announced its ID@Xbox game as Worms Battlegrounds, and it's also coming to PlayStation 4. Its due on both systems sometime this year. [Image: Ninjabee]
First run of ID@Xbox Games arriving on Xbox One closer to March 2014
The broad launch window for the first run of ID@Xbox games is narrowing, as program director Chris Charla said the first set of indie games will start to arrive near the end of Q1 2014. Speaking with Edge, Charla said the launch dates "will be early in the New Year, in the first three months... I would say closer to the third month," placing the games closer to March 2014. Previously, Microsoft Corporate VP Phil Harrison said in September that indie games launching through the program would likely start to arrive in "early 2014." Charla added that it's hard to determine how many games would arrive on Xbox One early in 2014, as each one is still in development, and some have been for months. Microsoft unveiled a list of 33 developers participating in the program earlier this month, which included Halfbrick Studios (Fruit Ninja), Double Fine (Brutal Legend), Crytek (Crysis, Far Cry) and Vlambeer (Ridiculous Fishing).
Super Time Force shifts to 2014, also coming to Xbox One
Capybara Games is bringing its radical 2D run-and-gun game, Super Time Force, to Xbox One in addition to Xbox 360, and aims to launch both versions simultaneously. The game will be self-published on Xbox One through the ID@Xbox program and has a new launch window of early 2014. "As 2013 waned and the ruckus around new consoles got louder, we decided that launching on both the Xbox One and Xbox 360 would be the best way for Super Time Force to get out there," Nathan Vella, Capy co-founder and president, told Joystiq. "We really believe in our game, and we're happy that ID@Xbox gives us a chance to bring it to players who made the jump." Capybara Games is also working on another Xbox One game, Below, but that's being published by Microsoft Studios, as is the Xbox Live Arcade (Xbox 360) version of Super Time Force. "Between Super Time Force and Below, players will get the chance to see two very different games from our studio. Super Time Force is easily the most action-packed and ridiculous game we've ever made, while Below is, without much exaggeration, on the complete opposite side of the spectrum. Having these two vastly different games coming from our studio is a huge point of pride for us." Super Time Force will launch "a few months into 2014" while Below's launch date has not been announced.
First batch of self-publishing Xbox One developers include Double Fine, Crytek
Microsoft listed 33 developers that will be participating in its ID@Xbox self-publishing program for Xbox One. The list of those that applied and were approved by Microsoft included Iron Galaxy (Divekick), Crytek (Crysis, Far Cry), Halfbrick Studios (Fruit Ninja), Demiurge Studios (Shoot Many Robots), Double Fine (Brutal Legend) and Vlambeer (Ridiculous Fishing). Some developers have already announced the games they are bringing to the platform, such as Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune's Mighty No. 9 and Capy's Below. The independent developers program was announced in August, and grants indies access to two Xbox One development kits as well as a license to the Unity game engine in order to create games for the system. Microsoft said the first round of games published in the ID@Xbox program will arrive in early 2014. Microsoft's initial plans to disallow self-publishing on the Xbox One were reversed in July. A list of the participating developers, which Microsoft says is "far from comprehensive," can be found after the break.
Microsoft advises consumers against enabling dev mode on Xbox One
Though Microsoft has said every retail Xbox One can be used as a game development kit, the company is recommending against consumers enabling an early developer mode on their consoles through the settings menu. In a statement to Engadget, Microsoft says the sequence of buttons that unlocks additional menu options in retail consoles does not necessarily turn the Xbox One into a developer's console. "Changing the settings in this menu is only intended for developers for Xbox One, and this alone does not turn the console into a development kit. We strongly advise consumers against changing these settings as it could result in their Xbox One becoming unusable. Customers who have put their consoles into this developer setting can revert by restoring factory defaults under Settings / System, select Restore Factory Defaults." Microsoft has previously stated we'll see the first self-published Xbox One games, through the ID@Xbox program, sometime early next year. The ID@Xbox program will support any and all payment models available on Xbox One, including free-to-play, premium pricing and micro-transactions.
Unity license free for ID@Xbox developers
Microsoft announced this morning that all developers in the ID@Xbox program will have free access to the Unity game engine, which has become the go-to cross-platform backbone of game development. The Xbox One add-on for Unity is planned for 2014. "Will we devote marketing and promotion to promising looking titles in development? Of course. But we want to make sure the dev who's working away in Omaha, or Coventry, or Chiba will have the same shot to realize their vision on Xbox One as one of my developer friends we hang out with in Seattle or at a trade show like GDC or Gamescom," wrote Chris Charla, Microsoft's portfolio director for digital games. The ID@Xbox program is designed to lower barriers for independent developers, supporting various business models for those games. Unity licenses aren't that expensive, but for developers living on ramen, that extra money saved lets them get crazy with ramen that includes flavor packets. That's fancy!
Microsoft: First 'ID@Xbox' games in early 2014
Corporate VP Phil Harrison says the indie games launched through Microsoft's Xbox One initiative are likely to show up starting in early 2014, following "an avalanche of interest" in the ID@Xbox program introduced last month. Now it's simply a matter of poring over all of the applications and getting the console shipped out to developers. "I don't think we're going to see things at launch. I don't think it's realistic to see a developer get the programme and build a game and get it into the market on November 22," Harrison told GI.biz. "It's reasonable to expect in early 2014 we'll start seeing the first games come through." The goal for Microsoft is to eventually enable all retail Xbox One consoles to double as development kits for self-publishing. As for indie games on Xbox One, they won't be segregated from the big AAA games – indie games can utilize Achievements and all the pricing freedom available to any other game on the Xbox Games Store. The Xbox One will be available on November 22.
ID@Xbox program supports all payment models on Xbox One
Independent games will not have to adhere to a set pricing structure on the Xbox One. During an interview with Joystiq at PAX Prime, Microsoft's portfolio director for digital games Chris Charla said the ID@Xbox program, an initiative that will allow independent developers to eventually self-publish on Xbox One, will enable "every business model that any other game on Xbox One has." So ID@Xbox games support free-to-play, micro-transactions and premium pricing. "On Xbox One, games that come through ID@Xbox are no different than any other game," Charla said. "They have full Gamerscore, full Achievements, can take advantage of SmartGlass, Kinect – if you can do it with an Xbox One game, you can do it with anything that comes through the ID@Xbox program. That's like a fundamental tenet of the program." The ID@Xbox program, an effort that will allow independent developers to use retail Xbox One consoles as developer kits, was first announced last week. Developers will not be able to self-publish on Xbox One at launch later this year, though Microsoft has said the functionality will be rolled out an unspecified later date.
Microsoft starts 'Independent Developers @ Xbox' self-publishing program
Microsoft has announced a self-publishing program for independent developers to get their games on Xbox One. Applications to join "Independent Developers @ Xbox" (or "ID@Xbox") are available widely starting today (xbox.com/id), though Microsoft tells Joystiq it is prioritizing developers with a proven track record during the initial stages of the program, which begins this fall. "We wanted to recognize that this program is just starting out," said Chris Charla, who heads up the ID@Xbox program and its support team. "We're really looking for qualified developers, especially in the early stages." Though there is no generic checklist for what is a "prioritized" application, Charla says Microsoft is looking for established indies that can provide good feedback to help the program improve in the future. Once accepted into the program, ID@Xbox participants will receive two Xbox One development kits at no cost, along with full access to Achievements, the Xbox Live toolset, cloud services, Kinect and SmartGlass for use in their games. "We have a pretty quick turnaround to letting people into the program, and signing their hardware agreements and that sort of thing," Charla said. However, "if we get 1000 entries on Tuesday, it's going to take a couple days longer than if we get 200." Charla would not disclose the general details of the resulting contracts, only saying that "every contract is probably a little different."
