After seeing Sony’s inclusion of indie games in its big PlayStation 4 announcement in February, Microsoft also set aside some time for indie games during its E3 presentation. A very small amount of time, actually – just enough to tease Minecraft and a new title from Capybara Games called Below.
It now turns out that Below isn’t truly an Xbox One exclusive. The game is, instead, a timed exclusive for Microsoft’s new console. The announcement was made on Capybara’s blog to clear up confusion over the game’s exclusivity status. From the blog post:
However, because of the way the game was announced & discussed in the press, there was naturally a little bit of confusion after the dust settled. And that confusion stuck around. So, to clear things up, we wanted to take a quick second and answer your number one question:
Like many games on stage at E3, Below will be available on the Xbox One first. Then, after a period of time, CAPY can bring it elsewhere. It’s always been this way.
Below is being described as a “roguelike-inspired” exploration and survival game. The latest trailer for the game was released along with Capybara’s blog post. It doesn’t show much of anything, but it is pleasant to listen to:
Since E3 and Sony’s on-stage embrace of indie developers, Microsoft has announced that indie publishing restrictions on the Xbox One will be more relaxed, compared to the restrictions placed on publishing to the Xbox Live Arcade on the Xbox 360.
It’s not out of the question that other timed-exclusive announcements of this sort are right around the corner. Large publishers such as EA, Activision, and Ubisoft have gotten very used to multi-platform releases and the larger revenues they bring this console generation. Dead Rising 3, as a sequel to a franchise of moderate popularity, may stay as a third-party exclusive to the Xbox One. However, it seems unlikely that Titanfall, which EA is pushing as a new franchise meant to compete with Call of Duty, will remain an Xbox One exclusive for more than a year.
