Sarah Bond Doubles Down on Xbox Indie Support: ‘True Culture Is Born in What You Do When Things Are Really, Really Hard’
Last summer, I tweeted an observation from the Xbox & Bethesda Game Showcase and several follow-up Xbox events that surprised me: a diverse slate of games, many created by diverse creators, that millions of people Presented and sold on stream to viewers. Various presenters participated under the slogan “Gaming for Everyone”. I realized that it felt different than the Xbox I remembered as a kid. It’s different in a very good way.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about my childhood perception of Xbox as the edgy, masculine and aggressive GAMER brand. I never felt like it was for me. It’s *wild* how they manage to get their message down to 180 and become “everybody’s game” people.
— Rebecca Valentine (@duckvalentine) June 17, 2022
My tweet was picked up by GamesIndustry.biz, inspired an interesting history lesson On how Xbox’s messaging has changed over the years. You can read their article for the full overview, but in summary, Xbox’s brand identity was literally ‘edgy’. It focused on “hardcore” gamers, its marketing was almost exclusively masculine, and frankly, the whole business felt pretty exclusive. It may have been for “gamers”, but it wasn’t for me, a gamer.
But at some point in the mid-to-late 2010s, something started to change. The keyword this time is not “edgy” but “everyone”. This extends not only to Xbox’s most obvious advertising, but to more subtle things like who comes forward to announce new games and initiatives at public presentations. It includes our commitment to accessibility and sustainability, our philosophy around reaching players on platforms other than the Xbox console, and our commitment to diversifying our portfolio and game library.
I brought up this view in an interview at the Game Developers Conference, in front of Xbox Corporate VP Sarah Bond.we are talking Xbox’s New ID@Xbox Developer Acceleration Programaims to specifically support underrepresented developers by providing resources and assistance to bring their games to Xbox. Fittingly, Bond wears a “Gaming for Everyone” shirt in our interviews, which she mentions when she talks about the program.
“There is real truth in Xbox culture and our belief in this statement,” she says. “And a lot of our support for indies is really based on that. It wasn’t a thing. You see a lot of citizen creators in music and videos. [But] As a result, we are years behind in the gaming industry. ”
A game everyone can enjoy forever
Since its inception 10 years ago, ID@Xbox has paid out over $4 billion to independent developers. Up from $2.5 billion at this time last yearCurrently, over 5,000 developers in 100 countries are participating in the program, with over 3,000 games in active development. Last year alone, he had over 700 developers participate. The program gives the developer access to two of her free dev kits, waives fees associated with game updates, and many other perks.
But with the ID@XboxDeveloper Acceleration Program, Xbox goes one step further and includes non-recoverable help offsetting porting costs and monthly webinars on topics like marketing, certification, and more. We are also piloting a prototype initiative with a handful of developers who provide irrecoverable funding and support in creating game prototypes that “accurately convey our vision.” The program has been running quietly for some time and already supports 100 games. Space for the Unboundinspection, Hoawayward strands, and more.
Xbox’s corporate VP Sarah Bond said at the conference that she wanted to finally officially announce the program to make sure developers who haven’t yet reached out to them know that support is available.
“True diversity, true inclusion is equal access for all,” says Bond. “It’s about making sure those stories reach us, even things we never imagined or even see or know someone else is going through.”
Bond believes Xbox’s role in uplifting underrepresented developers is essential to transforming not only the company’s portfolio, but gaming culture as a whole. She points out that 10 years ago, she and I (two women, I’m a reporter at IGN, she’s a corporate VP at Xbox) weren’t sitting together in the same room for an interview on this topic. She wears a colorful dress in front of the camera at the official Xbox presentation to showcase new games and initiatives. This is because it intentionally shows that the game is not just for people who look and dress like her, but for everyone else.
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“I mean, it’s crazy,” she says. “I manage her relationship with the developer of one of the world’s leading gaming platforms. It’s crazy…it can’t be fixed magically.” [culture] One night. But it also needs to change because it’s literally what’s been uploaded into our children’s brains. What do I want in their brains? Who would you like to experience?
“Yes, we do it because we believe in the business of supporting indies. , there are things that are more fundamental… and games have an incredible power to guide you through stories and experiences like no other, just sit back and watch the movies it comes to you , you have to be a part of it.There are business opportunities, but also what we want to do with the world, what we want people to experience, and the shared understanding that transcends divisions. I think there are also certain imperatives to how you produce it.”
creating culture in chaos
Historically, indie developer support has seemed to be a trend, so I put a little pressure on Bond. We hear repeatedly that all three platform owners are often finicky about indie support. If they don’t have AAA games to sell or want a complete library for a new console, then the money and support for the indies is pouring in. Rushing the Indies to be late to the party. Is Xbox just using indies to fill its Game Pass library and storefront until it launches its long-awaited AAA blockbuster?
“That’s not going to happen because that’s not how the industry really evolves,” Bond replies. “Every few years we see a game coming out of an indie studio. It’s the biggest game in the world…our commitment to indie is not cyclical. It’s about where the game comes from and when the next big game Because it’s the actual basis for where we actually believe it comes from.”
She points out that few indie games hit the level of, say, Vampire Survivors. But she said Xbox wants to make sure these games are already supported by Xbox when they hit.
“At the end of the day, players play AAA, but players also like indie and they like discovering new things. It’s a matter of breadth. And Game Pass shows that too…all of this. So we’ve seen that over time we’ve increased our commitment to indie, we’ve had more studios of our own, but never We have never stepped back, we will create something incredibly powerful.”
I point out that it costs money to support these games. Xbox doesn’t always recover from supporting too many unpopular games.and the company had just been hit with mass layoffs It has impacted multiple Xbox Game Studios at a time when many other gaming and technology companies are cutting headcount and initiatives amid fears of a worsening economy. Is there a world where Microsoft’s greater powers will issue edicts that Xbox needs to cut back on its support and spend money elsewhere?
Bond has responded that he currently has no expectations that it will continue, at least when it comes to games. Bet on an industry of over $200 billion It will be a problem for Microsoft and Xbox. But more importantly, she stresses that the goal is to create a “comprehensive portfolio” that gives you the freedom to bet on games that Xbox doesn’t always do well. Additionally, games that didn’t succeed the first time are made by studios that have experience hitting home runs on their second or third game and immediately feel comfortable with Xbox as the home of those successes.
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But more importantly, Xbox is now in an era of economic upheaval and has not strayed from the indies. We’ve doubled down on both indie support and our commitment to the aforementioned cultural change within Xbox, where indie is a big part. She describes a recent positive experience in which leaders within the company were asked to sit with their teams and conduct a refresher session on the company’s cultural attributes. I found myself asked to focus on culture during the ‘meltdown of banks’ – pleasantly surprised and encouraging.
“I thought it really made sense because this is actually the environment in which culture is made,” she says. It really doesn’t make sense, real culture, and real leadership comes in what you do when things are really, really hard, and when you have to make trade-offs, and you I didn’t even think about it until I asked this question just now.We’re sitting here in this environment launching our Developer Acceleration program. No evidence of more than that, you stay on course over time about what really, really matters, and you’re not short-sighted or confused by what you’re seeing. It’s from.”
At the end of the conversation, return to the Developer Acceleration Program. Let’s say this succeeds. What does Sarah Bond envision her doing ten years from now?
“I will be attending GDC,” she says. “My daughter will be with me, and I run into a developer who says, ‘Have you ever worked at Xbox? And I would say yes. And they said, “I just want to say thank you for getting me started through the Developer Acceleration program. And I’m not sure I could have done it without Xbox, so I just want to thank you.”
Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. you can find her on her twitter @duck valentine.
