Microsoft MSFT's Xbox launched the ID Xbox Developer Acceleration Program to help underrepresented creators find success on the platform.
James Lewis, senior creative partner programs lead at Xbox, explained in an interview with GamesIndustryBiz.com that the program was set up to help developers from underrepresented backgrounds port their games to Xbox without sacrificing time and money.
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Lewis said that we can't reach the billions of gamers that we hope to reach without empowering more developers who have access to other communities.
He said that there are people who don't think of themselves as gamers because they haven't seen some of the games coming from these communities. It is better for our industry when we can grow and welcome in new voices who can reach more audiences. Among the developers the program is designed to support are Black, Indigenous, Latinx or LGBTQIA communities, women, developers with disabilities, developers from emerging markets, or teams with unique perspectives.
It's worth noting that Microsoft does not intend to recoup the funding or lock developers into an exclusivity arrangement.
Since it was first launched in 2019 under another name, the program has promoted over 100 games. Lewis told GamesIndustryBiz.com that they already have 100 titles and that they are looking forward to those next 100.
The program also includes webinars with best practices on launching a game, game lifecycles, marketing, setting up a store page and a pilot program that offers some developers funding to make a game prototype.
We recognize that a lot of the teams we are trying to support haven't had access to the resources to get their ideas off the ground. We're intentionally giving them access to non-recoupable amounts of funding to build a prototype. Lewis said that they can clearly and accurately articulate the vision they have for their game.
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