Good news, Xbox One and Windows 10 PC gamers: A lot more indie games could be on the way.
Microsoft at the Game Developers Conference on Wednesday launched its Xbox Live Creators Program, giving any developer the opportunity to publish Xbox Live-enabled games on Windows 10 PCs and Xbox One consoles.
On Xbox One, games published through the Creators Program will appear in a new "Creator games" section in the store. On Windows 10 PCs, these titles will be visible with the other games in the Windows Store.
The program will let developers easily integrate Xbox Live sign-in and social experiences such as leaderboards and party chat into their games. Developers will be able to "rapidly" publish their games to Xbox One or Windows 10 through a "short and simplified certification process," Microsoft said.
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"This means your title can be seen by every Xbox One owner across the Xbox One family of devices, including Project Scorpio this holiday, as well as hundreds of millions of Windows 10 PCs," Microsoft's Game Developer Product Marketing Manager Andrew Parsons wrote in a blog post.
If you're a developer, head here for all the information you'll need to get started with the Creators Program Preview. Spaces for the program will initially be limited. "As the program ramps up, more spaces will periodically be made available," the company said.
Meanwhile, Microsoft this week announced a new Xbox subscription service in an attempt to get more people playing games on the Xbox One, and in turn generate more revenue. Xbox Game Pass costs $9.99 and provides unlimited access to more than 100 Xbox One and Xbox 360 titles. There's no streaming involved here. The games you choose to play through Xbox Game Pass will be downloaded to your Xbox One.