Microsoft did it again. The company pulled a 180 degree stance on one of its policies, allowing small developers to self-publish their games on the new Xbox One console without a publisher.

First, Microsoft was criticized from all corners of the industry following their DRM policies, which were then quickly revoked. Then, Microsoft stopped self-publishing of games from independent developers; but after confirmation from Sony that Sony will allow self-publishing on PS4, game developers became quite vocal slamming Microsoft’s decision.

But then Microsoft later confirmed self-publishing on Xbox One and said that every game and experience can take advantage of all of the features of Xbox One and Xbox Live including self-publishing, Kinect, the cloud, and achievements.

Microsoft will announce more about self-publishing at the upcoming Gamescom gaming convention in August. Given that Sony is encouraging many PC developers to bring their games to PS4, Microsoft has taken back the controversial policy for Xbox One. While Microsoft has said not all of the features will be available at the launch of the system, the company’s goal is to create a positive environment among independent developers.

What does allowing self-publish mean to developer?

Indie developers have expressed mixed reactions to the news, some optimistic of at least the prospect to release their creations on the new platform, others cautious of Microsoft’s willingness to offer indie titles sufficient exposure on the Xbox Live Marketplace.

“Microsoft has been locked into a retail mindset for some time and up until now you needed to be a boxed games publisher in order to be on XBLA. Every entertainment industry has moved over towards a more open model in which having a rich and diverse selection of content is a killer app in itself. Every indie deserves a shot at the same audience as the big guys,” said Brian Fargo, inXile Entertainment.

“We’ve been talking to Microsoft about this for a while. The things that have been leaked are that you could self-publish on 360, and use your machine as a dev-kit. I guess that’s what XBLIG already was on the current 360. Microsoft didn’t properly support that, and it became a kind of wasteland,” said Sean Murray, Hello Games.

He continued, “So while this is totally a good move, it only works if Microsoft promotes self-published games equally with their own and with those of EA/Ubisoft or whatever. I think that’s what Steam and iOS are doing really well. If they don’t learn that lesson and indie games are hidden away, then self-published games will again end up in a little cul-de-sac that people won’t know about or be able to discover the best games in.

“I really appreciate Microsoft listening to developers and making this happen, but giving access is only the start of making something that can help bring amazing games to their console.”

Indie games are becoming increasingly popular among the general public and are therefore considered as an important factor in determining the consumer in choosing a new console. The changes would allow developers to set release dates, pricing, and the certification process.

“Microsoft’s self-publishing announcements is good news indeed. Any steps towards removing barriers between game creators and their players will boost creativity and the availability of original content for us all. It certainly fuels our interest in the platform, I’m now curious about the details that are hopefully surfacing shortly,” says Henrique Olifiers, Bossa Studios.

Veteran developer Byron Atkinson-Jones of Xiotex Studios said Xbox One has a Metro interface, which is the same as in Windows 8 and Surface, so the plan has always been that you can develop cross-platform apps – it’s very easy to do, it’s just an HTML 5 interface – but you have very limited access to the hardware. If that’s what they’re talking about with this self-publishing programme, it’s not the same as self-publishing on Nintendo or Sony. I wonder about how much has changed.

Some other indie developers have opinion that the new policy will help Microsoft to win many projects to Xbox one, resulting in many more sales.

“This is undoubtedly going to increase the number of projects available on Xbox One; it opens a possibility to take the risk to create innovative projects. At the same time it’s important to avoid the large wave of low-quality projects as that may be detrimental to the image of the console,” says Ruslan Didenko, Vostok Games.