Xbox Wire: Phil Spencer Announces Developer Tools to Bring Games to Billions
Today at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, Phil Spencer, Head of Xbox at Microsoft, shared the next step in the company’s plans for a unified vision for gaming across Windows 10 devices. And, it’s all about developers. Here at Microsoft, we share a commitment to making sure experiences across all devices are better than ever. That starts with making the development process easier by providing the tools and support our developers have asked for to reach billions of devices around the world.
As we press forward on the journey toward the launch of Windows 10, we’ll continue working hand-in-hand with our developers to ensure that together we bring the best possible gaming experiences to gamers. Let’s take a look at a handful of the details shared with game developers today at GDC:
- Xbox Live SDK Available for Windows 10: In January, we announced our commitment to bringing Xbox Live to Windows and today we announced that the Xbox Live SDK for Windows 10 is currently in the hands of managed partners to create new games. Soon it will be in the hands of a broader set of developers. This SDK will provide access to the vast majority of Xbox Live services currently available on Xbox One, under a shared set of APIs, integrated with the Windows Store. We are also committed to making Xbox Live accessible to all game developers, regardless of size, which is why we’re introducing a new tier of Xbox Live that is designed to allow any developer to engage with the Xbox Live community.
- Windows Universal App Platform: Windows 10 brings together one core operating system, one application platform, one gaming social network, one store, and one ingestion path across all Windows PCs, Tablets, Phones and Xbox One consoles – that’s more than 1.5 billion people. With the Universal App Platform, any developer can create a single project to target multiple devices. It will be easier than it has ever been to bring content to PCs, tablets, phones, Xbox consoles, and future Windows 10 devices like Microsoft HoloLens. Developers will be able to do this and more when Windows 10 is available this year.
- Windows Store: With the Windows Store, Microsoft is committed to delivering best-in-class scenarios for gamers and game developers. For developers, the promise of one store across devices means they will now have the ability and flexibility to deliver content across PCs, console, tablets, and phones, easily and quickly. Similarly, by enabling new experiences such as cross-buy, developers now have more flexibility on the features they deliver to gamers across Windows devices.
- Universal Development Center: The Universal Development Center is the developer portal to building and delivering games to the Windows Store. It provides fast, lightweight game submission and update capabilities within the developer’s direct control, as well as access to key metrics to understand their game’s performance. Improvements in platform, tools, and Xbox Live services, while reducing overhead of publishing, will foster more compelling game content and a richer, more engaged gaming community.
- DirectX 12: DirectX 12 enables PC developers to have a new level of power and control and is a single API developers can access across Windows devices. As shown with Fable Legends running on Unreal Engine 4, there has been a 20% improvement in performance. And as announced today, Epic is creating Unreal Tournament using Unreal Engine 4 running on DirectX 12, which sets a new bar for visual fidelity in PC gaming.
- Accessories: All wireless Xbox gaming accessories will be designed for and supported on both Xbox One consoles and Windows 10 PCs moving forward. Later this year, we’ll be delivering a Wireless Adapter that will let you use current Xbox controllers and future devices wirelessly on your PCs.
Elite: Dangerous is Coming to Xbox One
We’ve long had a great publishing relationship with Frontier Developments, which is why we’re so happy to announce that their epic space adventure Elite: Dangerous will be coming to Xbox One this summer. Developed by famed designer and Frontier CEO David Braben,Elite: Dangerous combines elements of space adventure, resource trading, and combat simulation to create a wholly unique experience that’s quite literally out of this world.
ID@Xbox Program Comes to Windows 10
It’s been an amazing year since we showed off the first ID@Xbox pre-release games last year at GDC. Many ID@Xbox games have shipped, hundreds of games are in development, and more than 1,000 independent studios have Xbox One development kits in hand. Today, we revealed that ID@Xbox will be expanding to help developers succeed by reaching gamers on Xbox One and Windows 10.
GiganticWe’re devoted to bringing the best games to Windows and Xbox which includes new IP and continued commitments from gamers’ favorite studios. Today we announced a partnership with Motiga to bring its first game, Gigantic, to Windows 10 and Xbox One. Gigantic is a five-on-five third-person battle arena game with a beautiful fantasy art style where you select from an array of heroes with distinctive powers and play styles and wield your way through an areas to defeat your opposition’s Guardian – while also protecting your own. Gigantic is optimized for both keyboard and mouse, and controller. Through the power of Xbox Live, we will be enabling cross-device play, and allowing gamers to choose how they want to play.
Comes to Windows 10 and Xbox One
Microsoft HoloLens
As announced on January 21, Microsoft HoloLens is the world’s first fully untethered holographic computer running Windows 10. Developers in the Windows ecosystem will be able to create games to reach the masses through a system where they can designate their game’s distribution even for future devices – devices like Microsoft HoloLens. The reaction to Microsoft HoloLens has been incredible. While there are going to be many uses and industries that take advantage of Microsoft HoloLens and everything that holographic computing has to offer, gaming is a huge opportunity. For all the game developers out there, we encourage you to join the Windows Insider Program to get the holographic APIs when available, and stay tuned for Build 2015, where we will share more details.
This is just a first look at some of the exciting updates coming that will make gaming even better on Windows 10 and Xbox. We will continue to gather feedback from the game development community on our plans to ensure the games and content on Windows 10 and Xbox is the best it can be for gamers and for developers.
Check back soon for a feature video of Phil’s talk from GDC 2015.
They've announced a solid at least 32 new indie games coming to XONE. The new 32 list you can see on the Xbox YouTube. Some of those list they wrote down are:
Bedlam (RedBedlam): Based on the novel by award-winning British author Christopher Brookmyre, this is a shooter for everyone who remembers gaming in the ‘80s and ‘90s!
Beyond Eyes (Team17): How does a blind person navigate the world? This unique title might give you some sense of what it’s like to live in a world without sight, as you control a young girl in search of her lost cat.
ClusterPuck 99 (PHL Collective): This competitive sports game features eight-player local competitive action.
Cuphead (Studio MDHR): A run-and-gun adventure, with plenty of 1930s style animation to keep things interesting! It will make its console debut on Xbox One!
Earthlock: Festival of Magic (Snowcastle Games): An exciting, nonlinear role-playing game.
The Flame in the Flood (The Molasses Flood): A rogue-lite river journey through the backwaters of a forgotten post-societal America. It will make its console debut on Xbox One.
Fortified (Clapfoot Games): An exciting new take on action-strategy games that combines shooter, real-time strategy, and base defense mechanics.
Game 4 (The Behemoth): One of the weirdest turn-based strategy games you’ll ever play, with plenty of The Behemoth’s unmistakable style.
Goat Simulator (Double Eleven): You are a goat, and you are on a rampage. What more do you need to know? More goat to the people!
LA Cops (Team 17): This top-down strategy shooter celebrates everything awesome about ‘70s cop fiction.
Magic Duels: Origins (Wizards of the Coast): The world’s most beloved collectible card game goes free-to-play! It will make its console debut first on Xbox one
Mighty No. 9 (Comcept): This Kickstarter darling is the brainchild of acclaimed developer Keiji Inafune, the creator of Mega Man. True side-scrolling perfection!
Pixel Galaxy (Serenity Forge): It’s one heck of a hectic shoot-’em-up, inspired byKatamari Damacy. Grow, make friends, and survive together!
R.B.I. Baseball 15 (MLB.com): The legendary Major League Baseball franchise returns with fresh game modes, authentic ballparks, improved animations, and deep stat-tracking.
Rivals of Aether (Dan Fornace): This fighting game challenges you to uncover the elemental mysteries of Fire, Water, Air, and Earth.
Shadow Blade: Reload (Dead Mage): Guide a young ninja on his journey to seek the teachings of the last remaining ninja master as he embarks on a quest for revenge.
Shovel Knight (Yacht Club Games): Steel thy shovel! The amazing retro sidescrolling adventure is coming to Xbox One!
SMITE (Hi-Rez Studios): The next evolution in multiplayer online battle arena space. Assemble your team, choose your hero, and destroy your opponents. Stay tuned for details on the Xbox One beta, coming very soon!
Submerged (Uppercut Games): You’re trapped in an ancient, half-submerged city, with next to nothing. Explore the flooded cityscape and scale its buildings in a fight to survive!
Super Dungeon Bros (React! Games): A multiplayer dungeon-crawling extravaganza with a rock music theme. Get your bros together and get ready to rock out!
SWORDY (Frogshark): In this multiplayer physics brawler, you will hit your friends until they explode. You really have to see this one to wrap your head around this craziness. We’re pleased to say Swordy will debut first on Xbox One.
The Sun and Moon (Digerati Distribution and Marketing): It’s a platformer with a twist: You can dive into the ground, reversing your gravity while conserving your momentum. Winner of the Ludum Dare 29 competition!
ZHEROS (Rimlight Studios): This 3D action brawler – set in an alternative future universe – is rife with engaging combat and outrageous characters.
Some of the games I'm still waiting for that haven't come out yet are like Grave and Superhot.Smite, Swordy, Shiftlings, and Submerged all still do look really cool since most of those have been announced before. F2P Magic Duels: Origins is apparently a thing people are excited about, so that should be pretty cool for free to mess with. I've heard that Pneuma: Breath of Life looks just gorgeous, and Hand of Fate I still need to check out that has come out lately.
They have announced that Rogue Legacy is coming to XONE at some point soon, and I'm still hoping get Hotline Miami, Don't Starve, and Salt and Sanctuary get announced for whenever. Cuphead and Inside still don't have release dates.. I'm probably buying Ori and the Blind Forest for sure next Tuesday. Yay games! :D
And I guess Four Sided Fantasy just got announced for everything, cool!
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