News
Indie Developer Claims “Indies Don’t Matter To Microsoft”
One vocal indie developer has confirmed my growing fears surrounding the Xbox One and its support — or lack thereof — of indie games. In a recent interview with VG247, Oddworld Inhabitant co-founder Lorne Lanning discussed the perils of getting his studio’s game, Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD, on the Xbox Live Marketplace.
Apparently, it’s no easy feat. Microsoft made them wait for over a year with little communication before eventually not allowing them to release their game on XBLA. “We’re not on the radar. We’re little guys. It doesn’t seem like any of the little guys are on the radar. When we listen to them talk, we have to laugh. It’s pure rhetoric.” Lanning told VG247. More after the jump.
Lanning’s statements mirror that of several other indie developers, including Fez creator Phil Fish, who aren’t happy with Microsoft’s treatment of the little guys.
This lack of support from Microsoft has led to a gradual exodus of indie developers away from the Xbox platforms. Many of these developers are finding their homes on PC, usually through Steam, or on Sony’s significantly more inviting platform.
Currently, if you want to purchase an indie game on the Xbox 360, you can visit the indie or arcade section to find what you’re looking for. On the Xbox One, every category has been merged into one Frankencategory, making it more difficult to find games from smaller studios. On top of this, Microsoft also won’t allow indie developers to self-publish their games — instead they’ll need to find a third party publisher for distribution.
It’s worth mentioning the PlayStation 4 does none of this. Indie devs get the spotlight they deserve and they can self-publish their games rather than spending additional money on a middle man. Sony’s support of indie games was apparent when, during their pre-E3 media briefing, they actually spent time showing off the many indie games that are coming to exclusively to the PS4 (and in many cases, PC) — including two very high profile horror games, Daylight and Outlast.
“Right now people like us are clearly not in Xbox One’s business model. And there’s nothing we can do about that,” Lanning added. “Ten years from now, the biggest banners out there, the hundred million dollar games, are going to be what happened in the indie community.”
“Someone’s going to be burning the next hundred million dollar properties here, and it might be the least likely guy that was on that stage at the Sony conference. But that’s where it’s going to come from, and the smart people know that. I don’t see any indication of that foresight up in Redmond. They do not seem to be listening to their audience.”
We know Microsoft is currently prepping a Gamescom press conference. Hopefully they’ll shed more light on this situation at the event.
Have a question? Feel free to ever-so-gently toss Adam an email, or follow him on Twitter and Bloody Disgusting.
All of us here at Bloody Disgusting are deeply saddened to learn that George A. Romero Foundation Founder and President Suzanne Desrocher-Romero has passed away.
GARF shared in a statement on socials, “It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Suzanne Desrocher Romero. Suzanne passed away of natural causes on June 24 at her home in Toronto after a prolonged illness.”
The statement continues, “Suzanne was the fierce leader of the George A. Romero Estate and The George A. Romero Foundation. She worked tirelessly to preserve George’s legacy. Her work at the foundation will continue to inspire and live on for generations to come. The family asks for privacy at this time.”
Desrocher-Romero founded GARF in 2018, after her late husband’s passing in 2017, and has been a fierce advocate for his legacy and the arts. It was her mission to “strengthen horror as a serious field of global study,” and she was a tremendous fighter on behalf of Romero’s works and supporting new filmmakers inspired by his legacy.
It was Desrocher-Romero who spearheaded the recovery and restoration of The Amusement Park, and, as the person in charge of the George A. Romero estate, worked closely with author Daniel Kraus on completing unfinished novels like Pay the Piper and The Living Dead. She most recently celebrated the restoration of her favorite of Romero’s zombie films, Day of the Dead, and was hard at work producing the upcoming film Twilight of the Dead.
That passionate advocacy led to Suzanne Desrocher-Romero becoming family to Bloody Disgusting as well.
2023 marked the start of an ongoing partnership between Bloody FM and GARF on The Dead, a scripted audio series spanning multiple seasons that saw Desrocher-Romero working closely with the Bloody FM team and mentoring the series’s contributing writers with GARF. To say her loss will be felt internally is an understatement.
“Anytime George Romero is mentioned is good, because what we are doing is to provide a healthy legacy. We’re uplifting his legacy, we’re supporting the archive, and we’re also supporting the Horror Study Center. So, all of these three things are what the Foundation is striving to do. As far as I’m concerned, the more we say George Romero’s name, the better it is,” Desrocher-Romero recently told BD.
It’s the perfect encapsulation of her unwavering enthusiasm for supporting Romero’s legacy and the horror genre, and just a glimpse at how much she contributed to preserving it. She is, in short, an inspiration.
We send our deepest condolences to Suzanne Desrocher-Romero’s family, friends, and GARF.
You must be logged in to post a comment.