chris-charla
Latest
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]
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).
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."
XBLA prices slowly rising, says Microsoft
While the majority of XBLA games are still in the 800-point-and-under bracket, XBLA's Portfolio Director Chris Charla admits that the number of over-1,200-point titles in the service's library has been steadily increasing. During an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Charla said that XBLA's pricing trends are "a little bit of the opposite" of what one might normally see in an app-store ecosystem, where historically, pricing structures have entered "a race to zero as fast as possible." So far, 2011 has seen 20 1,200-plus games land on XBLA. In 2010, 27 of the 85 games released for the service cost 1,200 points or more, an 8 percent increase over 2009, during which 21 out of 86 titles hit that price point. Charla attributes the gradual pricing increase to an increase in the number of quality titles on the platform: "I think the games that we're shipping -- a Limbo or a Castle Crashers -- are as good as anything on the market." He went on to say that while it's "really gratifying" to know that gamers are willing to pay a "premium" for digital content, it is the market that decides what direction prices will go.
