Xbox: indies 'never been more important' as Project Helix looms

Xbox turns 25 in 2026 and ID@Xbox, the platform’s indie program, hits 13, meaning independent developers have been central to Xbox for half its life. Major leadership changes have left the platform’s future in flux as Asha Sharma settles in as CEO of Microsoft Gaming, but ID@Xbox is continuing at full speed.

At Game Developers Conference, Xbox hosted an indie event with demos for 13 games from eight countries, and Guy Richards, global director of ID@Xbox, discussed how the program fits into Sharma’s vision and the company’s upcoming Project Helix. ID@Xbox does more than brand indies on store pages.

The program helps developers self-publish on Xbox by providing dev kits, technical resources and marketing advice. Richards noted the industry has shifted since 2013: "The industry was very different when we started ID@Xbox in 2013," and whereas access and the ability to publish were once the biggest problems, today the major constraint is often time.

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