Revealed in a blog post from Xbox’s General manager Chris Charla, Xbox has reportedly paid “more than $2.5 billion in royalties” as part of ID@Xbox, the publishers indie initiative.

On the subject, Charla Wrote “Since the program’s inception, independent developers have earned more than $2.5 billion in royalties, and total revenue generated by ID@Xbox partners on Xbox almost doubled over the last three years”

The blog also states that the program has seen over 1000 developers sign up, however Charla does concede that Xboxs work with indie developers still has a easy to go, explaining “One area we talk to developers and players about a lot is discoverability. Teams across Microsoft work every day to help solve discovery challenges so players can find games they love, and in turn, ensure developers find the audience for their games.”

At GDC last week, Microsoft also announced ID@Azure, which is aimed at indie developers across any platform that want to use Microsoft’s cloud gaming technology in their titles. 

At the same event Xbox also officially announced their newest cloud gaming organisation. According to them, the division “works with studios to develop cloud-native titles and bring them exclusively to the Xbox ecosystem” and is being headed by Kim Swift.

Swift is probably best known for their work at valve as the project lead and designer of Portal, as well as working as a designer and artist on the Left 4 Dead Games, and was recently the director of game design at Stadia.

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The post Microsoft reportedly paid 2.5 billion in royalties to indie devs first appeared on Get2Gaming.

Golden light is weird. Really weird. Its an action-survival horror Roguelike about fighting meat. You can pick up and throw things (or eat them). The game is mostly inspired by the popular prophunt game mode most commonly associated with Garry’s Mod.

In golden light you descend gradually through a flesh construct called the gut, which fuses Silent hill with a canibalistic nightmare.

You can now experience the game in its complete form, with it just having launched in version 1.0. Its currently 30% off on steam as a lunch discount, and can be purchased as part of 1 of 2 bundles. The “go to hell” bundle also contains ULTRAKILL, one of the best FPS Games ever made, a slick stylish action game made of equel parts Devil may Cry and Quake. The Taste of Maddness bundle Packages the game with Cruelty Squad, an eye bleeding nightmare Immersive sim which, and your going to need to trust me on this because no amount of explanation can actually show this without you having played the game, is one of last years best and most interesting video games.

You can grab golden light on steam here

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The post Splatterpunk horror shooter golden light leaves early access first appeared on Get2Gaming.

FAR: Changing Tides, the sequel to FAR: Lone Sails (not to be confused with the ‘far’ series I guess), has recently had it’s release date announced in this recent trailer. And here’s the announcement trailer to Changing Tides from 2018 if you want to have a butcher’s… or rather, a fishmonger’s? Actually, no- Why do cockney folks say “butcher’s hook” when the saying “hook line and sinker” is LITERALLY right there!? This is fisherman-erasure on a global scale- Nay, butchers ARE hook-trenders… For all 5 of the people in my life who know who Contrapoints is, hope you enjoyed that mildly unhinged reference.

A Brief History on FAR: FAR: Lone Sails released in 2018, a survival RPG seeing players explore an oceanic post-apocalypse in a side-scrolling adventure. Okomotive and Mixtvision developed and published the title respectively. Fast forward a little, now Lone Sails is available on PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One and mobile. Changing Tides is now being published by Frontier Foundry. The USP with the Changing Tides is that not only will you be sailing through the world above, but your vehicle will also be decked out with a submarine mode!

The release date was confirmed by Don Schmocker (co-founder and lead-artist of Okomotive and Professional Bad-Ass-Name-Haver) to be coming on March 1st of this year on PS4 and PS5.

Mr Schmocker also spoke of the positive feedback received on Lone Sails and how the “meditative reflective nature” seemed to resonate strongly. The plan is to keep the best elements of the Sails while aiming to make Changing Tides more deliberately “thought-provoking”.

Schmocker also claimed Okomotive wanted to expand on content with new features like stormy weather, underwater cities and environmental puzzles suiting the ship’s new mechanics. Emphasis was especially put on distinguishing between sails, oars and the ship’s engine as movement methods. Maybe quieter sections of gameplay will be punctuated with underwater Mad-Maxian fuel scrapes where you’ll have to outwit bandits with less rickety ships than you.

Last, but not least, Schmocker also stated that due to the story being more implicit at times and requiring interpretation, players can also discover key plot context and lore by discovering sunken treasures, locations and ruins of the flood. As something of a Hollow Knight fan myself, not gonna lie, I’m extremely horny for environmental storytelling done right, so I’ll be cautiously optimistic with this one!

Product Poems:

I knew a mug name Tina, she from Shiganshina, cooking rice balls but can kick it back hard on Fifa.

Monkeys. Monkeys everywhere. Return to Monke. Yes I am, CJ.

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The post Steampunk Adventure Gets Release Date! FAR: Changing Tides first appeared on Get2Gaming.

Nintendo has announced it will be holding an online indie game showcase TODAY at Noon Eastern Time (that’s 5pm for us limeys)!

The stream should run for around 20 minutes (based on past similar showcases) and it’s expected to cover new indie games or which currently-existing indie games will be coming to Nintendo Switch. Sign up to our newsletter for a discount on our store, we’ve got plenty of indie and Nintendo games and nick-nacks right here.

There’s been some rumblings in the Twitterverse that Hollow Knight: Silksong may have a spot in the showcase, as us Hollow Knight fans have been starved for content for over a couple years. Fingers crossed the lads at Team Cherry have something put together for it. And while I’m gushing, I highly recommend giving the Hollow Knight Voidheart Edition a go! Tis a masterclass in worldbuilding and deceptively skill-based gameplay. And for any new players to Hollow Knight, give Windette a looksie if you want some hilariously helpful guides on in-game areas (explained in insults). More on him and other great gaming youtubers right here!

How to watch Nintendo’s Indie Gaming Showcase… Explained in Insults: Okay boomer, I know it probably took you 30 minutes just to get to this page, so feel free to get a pen and paper at the ready because chances are the alzheimers is kicking in early and my vain ass wants you to finish this whole article top to bottom. GOOD? Good! Let’s break this down.

YouTube! Not many people know this about me, but I suppose I have a passing interest in the platform. Nintendo will be streaming the event there, so here’s what you do: Click on THIS link to the Nintendo YouTube channel. You can watch the stream when it starts, but if you’re a big boi tech-wizard with a YouTube account, you can even click the little grey bell to notify you when the livestream is about to start. You’ll want to get there a few minutes early though, because YouTube has this strange fetish for playing adverts right before most re-entries into livestreams and I don’t want you clicking off this showcase because you thought it was Febreze commercial!

At this point, it has dawned to me I am writing this section for a type of niche that is simultaneously tech-illiterate enough to need regular explanations of how to work a phone while also being juuuust tech-savvy enough to enjoy video games on modern consoles. Okay, egg on my face, you got me Kronk!

Product Poems:

If Indie Brawlers bawl for bald ballers,  no indie Brawl baller need brawl for bauble borders.

“E’llo poppet, ow’s the misses“? Not bad lad, just doing dishes.

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The post Watching Nintendo’s Indie Game Showcase (Insult Explanation) first appeared on Get2Gaming.

A new patch providing necessary framework for mods is on the way.

The hit indie game Stardew Valley is one that thrives with community mods. There are mods that add entire new areas to the game, mods that change the art style, mods that diversify the cast of romanceable characters, and more. The game’s simple style and mechanics really lend themselves to this kind of community customisation.

Coming soon, version 1.5.6 will add more modding support, thanks to modders PathosChild and SMAPI. The patch notes didn’t include too much detail on what 1.5.6 will have coming, but “some long requested ‘holy grail’ changes” are on tap. PathosChild has been given access to the Stardew Valley source code to provide the upcoming changes.

PathosChild has led previous updates, including the game’s transition from XNA to MonoGame.

The 1.5.5 update, which went live on Tuesday, brings some quality of life improvements. This includes a buy-back option in case you accidentally sell something unintentionally (so long as you buy it back in the same shopping session).

And FINALLY, you can scootch your pets out of the way if they’re getting in the way of your building endeavours. Just click on them to nudge them out of the way – much better than standing around waiting for them to move their butts.

The full patch notes detail a bunch of other fixes made to the game in 1.5.5. There is no news so far on when 1.5.6 will launch. It doesn’t sound like it should be too long, but version 1.5.5 did follow 1.5.4 by almost 10 months.

Fans of Stardew Valley should check out this indie gem, an LGBT love story in all its pixel glory.

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The post Stardew Valley ‘future-proofed’ with improved mod support first appeared on Get2Gaming.

Looking for a game to get you in the spirit of Halloween? Here are 5 indie titles that will help you get your spook on.

Video games are perhaps the most immersive medium out there, and hence they really lend themselves to the horror genre. The stakes feel so much higher when you’re the one in ‘control’: it’s almost like your own life is on the line. It’s also a genre where indie devs have thrived – as you can create immersion in various ways when it comes to horror, and there’s much more room for stylism and the player’s suspension of disbelief. Rather than being the best in a ‘technical’ sense, horror games strive to outdo one another in cleverness and concept. I’ve lined up 5 indie game recommendations for you to sink your claws into this Halloween.

Limbo

Playdead’s monochromatic 2D-platform horror puzzle game is a mastery of atmosphere. This game is best played in the dark, with headphones or quality speakers, so every tense breath and creepy sound is heard clearly. The puzzles themselves are challenging, and the tense atmosphere gives them a sense of urgency. Though your character is faceless, their small stature and shallow breathing gives you the impression that this is a child. I felt naturally protective of the little guy, and my desire to get the kid to safety pushed me through the anxiety that this game induces. The gameplay is simple but effective, and I found myself awake at night wondering what exactly is going on in the world that our protagonist has found themselves in.

Blair Witch

Bloober Team’s Blair Witch is, at its heart, about the age-old companionship between man and dog. Take on the role of former police officer Ellis Lynch as he joins the mission to find a local missing boy, Peter Shannon, along with his beloved dog, Bullet. Bullet is integral to the gameplay, the Seek command often necessary to push the narrative forward. Bullet is also crucial for bringing Ellis down from his panic attacks (and keeping me calm too). The game is set two years after the hit indie film and builds on the found-footage narrative style.

I know what you’re wondering: is Bullet gonna be okay? If you don’t want any spoilers, skip ahead to the next game.

…..

…

Yes, you can keep Bullet safe and sound. He can die if you’re the absolute WORST, but so long as you give him treats, pets, and treat him like the good boy he is, he will be okay! He gets injured at one point, and the game will try to prompt you to abandon him. DON’T!!! Keep walking and ignore the prompt. Even if you get the bad ending for Ellis, Bullet will be alright. Hopefully now I’ve eased the minds of you animal-lovers reading this, you can enjoy the game without constant anxiety over Bullet.

Little Nightmares (I & II)

You’ve probably almost definitely heard of this one. It’s similar to Limbo in terms of theme and atmosphere. The gorgeous and terrifying art creates an eerie and tense environment as you solve puzzles and try to survive. Much like in Limbo, I found myself feeling protective over the little ones (although, like in most horror games, this would be turned against me). These games tap into your buried childhood fears and spin them out before your eyes.

Monster Prom

I said that the games would be Halloween-y! I didn’t promise they would all be scary. Monster Prom is a ridiculously funny dating sim game with what feels like an infinite amount of endings. The goal is to take one of the high school hotties to prom, but it’s surprisingly difficult. Half of the time I end up getting rejected or on some strange tangential secret route. My current goal? Romance the cat who runs the shop. It’s best played with friends, so you can revel in the absurdity of it together.

OXENFREE

Night School Studio’s OXENFREE is my number one recommendation on the list. If you haven’t yet played this indie hit, you’re in for a huge treat. The game is a narrative masterpiece, the characters are so real and tangible, and every choice you make feels leaden with consequences. Your heart will be SQUEEZED and you’ll be desperate to uncover the secret ending. It offers only a small slice of solace. Perhaps the upcoming sequel will provide more answers.

Check out our selection of Halloween games and goodies here! You never know what spooky mysteries you might uncover.

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Before you go: grab these voucher codes for use at Go2Games!
These offers end on November 1st

Use ARKEVOLVED10 for 10% off ARK: Survival Evolved (Code In A Box) (Switch)
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The post 5 Indie titles to play this Halloween first appeared on Get2Gaming.