Krillbrite Studios, who is currently working on the indie title Among The Sleep for PS4, has slammed Microsoft’s current ‘launch parity’ policy which prevents indies from launching their games on Xbox One if they choose to first release them on PlayStation platforms.
Speaking with GamingBolt, Krillbrite graphic designer Adrian Tingstad Husby called the policy ‘brutal’ and says that it’s often tough for indie developers to launch simultaneously on both Xbox One and PS4 platforms.
“It’s mostly a question about resources. As a small indie team, developing for consoles can be very demanding, so we decided to focus our attention at the PS4 for now,” said Husby. "Also, Sony have been very eager and pleasant to deal with.”
The worry for indies is that if the clause in the policy is enforced, then they have no chance of launching their games on Xbox One in the future. With the lack of resources behind them to often make that happen, it seems likely that more indies will choose PlayStation as their preferred platform.
“Well, as a small developer working to release our first game, [the policy] is rather brutal," said Husby. “Simultaneously shipping is very challenging, especially for small indie teams. The clause (if enforced) means it might not be possible for us to release on Xbox One, even though we wanted to.”
Back in April, Microsoft said he had no plans to change its ‘launch parity’ policy but would look at indie games on a case-by-case basis. Meanwhile, PlayStation looks set to continue to reap the benefits of its more indie-friendly approach.