Xbox One's Indie Exclusives List

While Sony got out to an early lead in recruiting indies to PS4, Microsoft has recently closed the gap with the success of its ID@Xbox self-publishing initiative. It's scored some big gets with Capy's Below and Playdead's Inside, among others. The Xbox One list of of home console exclusive indie games is becoming quite impressive. Here's a list of the upcoming Xbox One indie exclusives.

[Godmars290]

The word "exclusive" needs to stop being used, unless its used with 1st party titles or honest exclusives.

Edit@ Death:
No. First party titles in general. Things like the Tomb Raider BS which have made the term a spoilsport maneuver if not wholly worthless.

Sony's become no better in using it, but MS is still the worst offender. Them possibly buying Minecraft just as its been put on everything short of smart watches says that.

[Death]

Not to pick, but a first party "indie" is a technical impossibility.

[Death]

Do I think it would be a blessing? I personally wouldn't care if they were gone, but I'm not sure I would label it a blessing. For every truly good "indie" that comes out, dozens more that are pure shovelware also release. There is no quality control and anything can hit the marketplace. Maybe if I didn't play many of these games that are hitting back in the 80's it would be more exciting. Typically we don't advance very much by going backwards.

The only thing pushing these indies so quickly is the very small investment and the potential for very high profit. The easy money sends the wrong message to both young and established developers looking to make a quick buck.

[r2oB]

@ death

The same can be said for retail games. For every "truly good" game, dozens more are lackluster. Does that also mean retail games should disappear?

[Death]

@Rob,

While it's true not every retail release is a triple A title, there are still standards set and money at stake. The incentive to make a game that can sell on it's own merits is much higher in a much more competitive market place. An indie can be complete garbage and make money since the development cost is next to nothing.

What troubles me more is the small studios creating games under the indie label that are more than capable of making a quality retail game, but choose to target the easy money that self publishing and low expectations create.

[4Sh0w]

Indies are fine I just don't care for most of them, I'll take stuff like Below and Ori but excuse me for not getting excited for all these indie games announced that look like the shovelware I already refuse to play on my cell phone.

[Kayant]

Personally it's fine as long as it says something like "first to console", "console debut", "First on Xbox" etc which shows it's timed.

OT - Gameinformer missed quite a bit of games that are timed exclusives.

E.g. Smite, The Escapists, Superhot are all "Console debut" titles or Space Engineers which is exclusive for a year.

Great selection of games though. Cupcake, Inside look awesome.

[Death]

The exclusive tag is used to make the games sound exclusive. If they said "exclsuive for 2 weeks, 30 day, 2 months" etc, the tag wouldn't hold much value. Many times like in the Tomb Raider announcement, the console holder helps fund a games development. In exchange the game is labeled as exclusive for an undetermined time frame. If you are looking for a console or own multiple consoles and want the game, the label exclusive or even timed exclusive makes the decision easier.

You can hate it all you want, but the exclusive badge is a marketing tool. I would think being well informed would take some of the sting away.

[Godmars290]

@Death:
The tag doesn't mean much when weeks or months down the line the game comes out on other platforms with either better performance or more content.

One of the main reasons the Xbox brand is worthless in Japan were the number of titles that came out on the 360, only to come out later on the PS3 with more content. The 360 became known as the "beta-test machine".

[spicelicka]

Well you're definitely right but I don't think it's gonna stop anytime soon.

I'm sure you understand that MS or Sony aren't making these articles, its the journalists and fans. I rarely see MS or Sony making exclusive claims unless there are technicalities or loopholes, they wouldn't advertise tomb raider as "timed exclusive" because they have no reason to, it has not been confirmed for any other console. We can hypothesize and say it can easily come to ps4 later but why would MS ever say that unless it was officially announced for ps4 for a later date.

And when its confirmed to be timed exclusive like Cod DLC then they do mention "play on Xbox/ps4 first". I'm not defending either company but its mostly us, the fans, that abuse this term.

[Grindlefly]

arrrgghhh the non exclusive exclusive argument AGAIN?!

Godmars290 totally agree with you

[OllieBoy]

Below, Inside, and Cuphead look great.

But this list pales in comparison to what PS4 has coming. No Man's Sky, Hotline Miami 2, Binding of Isaac, The Witness, N++, Axiom Verge, Salt and Sanctuary, Galak-Z, Assault Android Cactus, etc.

[DigitalRaptor]

You're not wrong buddy.

I'm a huge fan of the indie movement from any platform, but Microsoft has nothing on this lineup. Your list is but a fraction, missing titles like RiME, Everybody's Gone to the Rapture, Dreamfall Chapters, Helldivers, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, WiLD, Source, Alienation, SOMA, The Tomorrow Children, Hollowpoint, The Talos Principle, Alone with You, Secret Ponchos, Shadow of the Beast, ABZU, Broforce, Apotheon, Not A Hero, Titan Souls and many many more.

2015 is looking ridiculous.

[hello12]

Smite is coming to x box 1, a big deal to be first to have a game like this on console. Dota and league of legends are the other big two games of a similar genre.

Surprising i agree with Kayant above@Personally it's fine as long as it says something like "first to console", "console debut", "First on Xbox" etc which shows it's timed.

This is more honest and true.

[reko]

so now indies are ok?

[Artista]

Ori and the blind forest.

That's all I want. Although, there are some interesting titles in there.

[Ryan741]

Goat simulator for the win.

[HappyWithOneBubble]

But XB1 gamers don't care about indies. Only AAA big budget games is more important to them. They call PS4 IndieStation.

[poppinslops]

This guy...

'Below' was (is) probably my 4th or 5th most aniticipated exclusive coming to xbox. It's been on my radar since they announced it alongside the console's launch...

Indies of this calibre helped to sell me a console, but they were never close to being the deciding factor as to which one I chose. The credit goes to exclusives like Quantum Break, Forza and Titanfall...

Big games with big budgets have the POTENTIAL to be so much more than 'Super Time Force'. Regardless of how much I've enjoyed the game (it's clever and dumb at once), I don't want a dozen inferior variations of it...

[ShadowWolf712]

I believe he's referring to people who say this for Xbox indies: http://n4g.com/news/1586875...

But then have this to say about PS4 indies: http://n4g.com/news/1585760...

It's fairly common, sadly. That and the "Indiestation 4" jab because the system has... well, indies. Guess these make for the Indiebox One then?

[strangeaeon]

I am an Xbox One gamer and for the most part think indie games are cheap money grab trash.

[DigitalRaptor]

@ Poppinslops

It's true though.

The Xbox fanboys troll on PS4 for being a proponent for indie games, but then don't use their own logic when Microsoft announces mainly new indie games at their conference, and when MS is following the same initiative simply to follow Sony.

They trash PS4 Indies but then praise Indies on Xbone that are far less numerous and are far less ambitious. It's what those guys do. He said XB1 fans, but we're not talking about you, cause you seem like a normal, logical Xbox fan.

[poppinslops]

Thankyou? I guess... God I love this website!

"My Father was an X-boner and my Mother was a Pony" mumbled the post-apocalyptic leper, telling his sad tale for what would surely be the last time (for he was sick of telling it)...

O.T: All the new consoles have issues (mostly percieved) that are exacerbated by the 'warriors' of either 'side'.
I'll get a Playstation when Uncharted comes. No Man's Sky, Rime, Wild and others might sweeten the deal but Nathan Drake will be the douchebag making me poorer.
Then there's Zelda. THAT is a game after my heart, and Shovelknight will be there as well, but yeah...

Everyone should shut up and make more money!

[Spotie]

That's what they say.

Then an indie comes to Xbox first, and suddenly there are exceptions.

[llxKonanxll]

Anyone arguing against these Xbox indies need to go somewhere else. All of them look great and i'd be ecstatic to have them on the Xbox if i owned one.

@Death, you seem to have a lot of animosity for indies, or it might be against the "shovel ware" indie titles that you feel should've been released in the 80's. We would all love to hear your opinion on what "shovel ware" titles you deem are unacceptable. It isn't like the IOS/android store where you have a dozen clones of flappy bird or clash of clans. Each game is different and each game offers something new and genuine to the table for everyone. I don't know why you expect every game to have 3D character modeling and high res textures. Most indie developers don't have that kind of budget.

[gamerfan0909]

The large amount of indies are shovelware or great with limited content. I just got done playing both Super time force and Shovelknight respectively. Both amazing indie games from great indie studios. But for every Super Time Force and ShovelKnight there's a million indie games that are shovelware that get approved.

[llxKonanxll]

I'd like to see these "million approved indie games" for Ps4 and XboxOne.

[Hellsvacancy]

Below, I REALLYYYY want that game, I LOVE the music (i'm a big music whore)

I'm sure I read it was coming to the PS4, it says "timed exclusive" so I assume it is

Don't be a fanboy, I genuinely want this game

[gamerfan0909]

It's not a timed exclusive. Microsoft studios is publishing it. It's coming to PC and XB1 next year.

[Hellsvacancy]

That sucks, thanks for the info, suppose i'll have to get the PC version, my laptop must be able to run it

[ghostface9]

ya its timed because its coming to pc like super time force but wont come to ps4 im pretty sure

[Illusive_Man]

Ori is developed by Moon Studios, a MS 1st party studios. Just because it is a 2D platformer does not make a game an Indie.

[gamerfan0909]

Below is not a timed exclusive. It's coming to PC and XB1 exclusively.

[guyman]

It has been repeatedly stated by the developer's themselves that it is timed. It will arrive on the xbox one first then move to PC later and maybe Ps4

[MasterCornholio]

Glad to see these indies come to the Xbox One even though the article is wrong about the exclusivity on several titles.

[ghostface9]

Not really big into indie games but alot of these games got me excited. Ori and the blind forest, inside, below idarb (hopefully it has online multiplayer) and cuphead

[lemoncake]

The quality of indie games is improving everyday.

[MasterCornholio]

I agree. My mind was blown when they first announced No Mans Sky. I never thought a small studio could make a game like that.