HomeWinBuzzer NewsMicrosoft's Xbox Live Creators Program Publishes Its First Six Games

Microsoft’s Xbox Live Creators Program Publishes Its First Six Games

The Xbox Live Creators Program now features six titles in an Alpha Ring build, including Whispers in the Dark, Space Cat! and more. Developers can join the program for a small fee and publish any UWP game directly to the Store.

-

One of the biggest reasons for the high number of PC exclusive games is that the process of shipping to console just isn't that easy. It's hard to get games approved, needs development units, and is a general hurdle.

The Xbox Live Creators Program seeks to fix that, and today marks its launch. Now, anyone can publish Xbox Live-enabled games to Xbox and . Those titles have now begun to appear in a new section of the store, giving a curated experience but also providing significant publicity for the developer.

It also means devs can integrate features like leaderboards, sign-in, presence, Kinect, and more. They can do so using the same tools as UWP titles, which are available in popular engines like Unity, Construct 2, MonGame and Xenko. What's more, you only need a regular to use the program, mitigating the need for a dev console.

Currently, six indie games are available:

  • Whispers in the Dark
  • Stereo Aereo
  • Animal Rivals
  • Derelict Fleet
  • Space Cat!
  • Solitaire HD

Eventually, the ‘Creators Collection' will be home to hundreds of UWP-created games. It appears developers can charge for these early versions, but there are a few limitations.

ID@Xbox Support Still Available

With this new scheme, some may assume it will replace the ID@Xbox program, but in reality, both can co-exist. The Creators Program simply makes it easy for devs to publish their games, while ID@Xbox provides support with development and marketing.

As a result, those published through the Xbox Live Creators Program can still apply for ID@Xbox afterward. Doing so will enable other features like Achievements and online multiplayer.

On the whole, it looks like a win-win. Similar to Steam, players get access to a wealth of game but crucially there's better curation. Developers will be able to gain popularity without the Xbox Store being overrun with low-quality content.

is encouraging developers to jump on board via the SDK, which you can download from this site. The first wave of games can be viewed by Insiders on the Alpha Ring.

Ryan Maskell
Ryan Maskellhttps://ryanmaskell.co.uk
Ryan has had a passion for gaming and technology since early childhood. Fusing the skills from his Creative Writing and Publishing degree with profound technical knowledge, he enjoys covering news about Microsoft. As an avid writer, he is also working on his debut novel.

Recent News