Xbox says indies have ‘never been more important’ ahead of Project Helix

The global director of ID@Xbox is bullish about the program's future

We likely won’t know that answer for a long time as Asha Sharma settles into her new role as CEO of Microsoft Gaming, but ID@Xbox is continuing to move ahead at full speed for now. At this year’s Game Developers Conference, Xbox hosted an indie event showcasing demos for 13 games, made by developers from eight different countries. During that event, Polygon sat down with Guy Richards, global director of ID@Xbox, to discuss how the program fits into Sharma’s new vision of Xbox and the upcoming Project Helix. Richards is optimistic that indies will still be core to both of those things, though it’s not quite clear if he’s had direct discussions with Sharma yet on the topic.

On a consumer side, ID@Xbox just looks like a branded way for Xbox to highlight indie games launching on its platforms. In actuality, the program is more involved than that. Xbox actively helps developers self-publish on Xbox consoles, providing support where it can in the form of dev kits, technical resources, and marketing advice. That’s been the goal for 13 years now, and a lot has changed about game publishing in that time.

“The industry was very different when we started ID@Xbox in 2013,” Richards tells Polygon. “The problems that we were solving for independent developers then are very different than what we’re going to be solving today and going into the future… Thirteen years ago, the biggest challenge was access and the ability to publish. Today, the biggest constraint for developers is probably time. There’s a lot of work we’re doing to simplify processes.”

Richards says that the goal is to get developers in a “build once, ship anywhere” mindset that makes it easier to get games running on any platform, whether it be home consoles, PCs, or handheld devices like the ROG Xbox Ally. (Several games that were demoed at the ID@Xbox showcase were running on the handheld.) He also cited discoverability as one of the biggest challenges facing devs today, pointing to a recent change to the New Releases page on the Xbox store as an example of how the program is elevating the work of small teams.

Figuring out how to help developers navigate a changing future is a priority, especially with AI changingthe way games are made. Richards said that ID@Xbox is having conversations with indie developers to help figure out where it makes sense to use the tech to make development cycles more efficient. It’s not mandatory for ID@Xbox participants to use AI, but it does seem to be highly encouraged.

“We’re approaching [AI] with independent developers to get their feedback and understand what their approach and our approach should be,” Richards said. “I think there’s a great opportunity for new tools to help game developers smoothen the production process. Really anything that allows developers to focus on the craft of making games. But of course anything we do when it comes to AI in this space will always be to Microsoft’s high AI standards and looking at AI from a trustworthy perspective.”

It makes sense that Xbox would be invested in helping developers get their games to market more quickly; a chunk of the brand’s success rests on the success of indies. Richards cites last year’s Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Hollow Knight: Silksong as examples of wins for ID@Xbox. Both games launched on Xbox Game Pass with the program’s support, giving the service two “Day One” killer apps amid a rocky period for first-party software. When I note that indies feel as important to Xbox as first-party games at this stage, Richards said he agrees “100%”

Of course, the program’s Global Director would say that. The million-dollar question is whether or not Sharma feels the same way. After all, her predecessor, the now-retired Phil Spencer, wore the persona of an avid gamer who championed smaller games. Sharma, who was previously leading CoreAI at Microsoft, has made it clear that she’s a relative newcomer to the world of gaming. Richards says he isn’t concerned about that transition.

“Phil has been an incredible leader. It’s been an amazing opportunity to learn and to work with him over the last couple of years,” Richards said. “But the first couple of weeks of Asha joining have been so energizing. She’s here at GDC this week doing the rounds. She’s meeting major publishers, she’s meeting indies. She’s showing a ton of curiosity and she really respects developers and the craft of making games.”

It’s not clear that Sharma has spoken to Richards directly about where ID@Xbox fits into her vision yet. During the interview, I asked if the two had spoken yet and what those conversations have entailed. Richards didn’t give a totally direct answer when I posed that question three separate times, instead talking broadly about the vision Sharma has outlined and where he believes ID@Xbox is a natural fit.

“The vision she set out for Xbox is talking about great games,” Richard said. “When I look back at the last decade or so, some of the biggest innovations have come from independents. Small teams taking big risks. Roguelikes, Survivorlikes, cozy life sims. Some of these even make it into mainstream gaming trends. That’s really where ID@Xbox focuses. It’s helping bring new ideas from developers who want to take risks for the platform. So when I look at the vision for bringing great games for Xbox and empowering teams to take big risks, it’s the heart and soul of what Xbox does.”

That’s not exactly an answer to the question, but Sharma is certainly engaging with the program. She made a cameo appearance at the ID@Xbox event at GDC (as did Phil Spencer in years past) and could be seen talking to developers at the event. At the very least, ID@Xbox and indie developers are on her radar. Whether they’ll remain at the center of it is yet to be seen.

What we do know is what she’s focused on next. As her first major announcement as CEO, Sharma revealed that Xbox’s next console is in development. Codenamed Project Helix, she explained that the device will play both Xbox and PC games in one place. How precisely that works is a mystery, but Richards echoed the same line when asked about the project and where indies will fit in with it.

“We’re doing a lot of work to make sure it’s easier for developers to ship. The ‘build once, ship anywhere’ approach that we’re taking is going to make it even easier for independent developers to bring games to what we’re building today, and in the future,” Richards said. “Independent developers have never been more important to Xbox, and Xbox is the home of developers and will continue to be in the future. That will be part of Project Helix and everything that we’re doing.”

For now, all we can do is wait to see how it all shakes out. The future that both Sharma and Richards speak of is on the horizon, but it certainly seems like the clay is still being molded behind the scenes. Richards makes a strong case for why programs like ID@Xbox will continue in the new era; Xbox will just have a lot of reassurance to do in the long build-up to Project Helix.