The ID@Xbox, a program that allows indie developers to self-publish their games for PC and Xbox One, would once again be partnering with the show to bring fans an indie demo extravaganza. The free, no-badges-required, event will begin next week and include over forty demos which players can check out exclusively on the Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.
One of the headline titles of the lineup is Tunic, developed by Andrew Shouldice. The game follows an adorable fox on a big, Zelda-inspired adventure that is as beautiful as it is challenging. Though fans of Tunic have already been able to jump into a demo of the game, the event promises fresh content. Another of the games mentioned by the Summer Game Fest host is Sable, a combat-less open-world game from Shedworks. Announced back in Xbox’s 2018 E3 conference, details on the game have been scarce. The stylistic look and intriguing premise have attracted many over the years and it looks like next week’s event will finally allow players to finally get a better sense of what the game will offer.
ID@Xbox and Summer Game Fest are teaming up again this year, as explained by an Xbox blog post, to bring fans a multi-day demo event that starts on Tuesday, June 15. After revealing that Tunic would be getting a brand-new demo for the Xbox-exclusive event, the game’s developer, Andrew Shouldice, provided a sneak peak of the content. The developer explained that the short, hands-on experience will include “never before seen stuff” and let payers tackle an entirely new dungeon. Also coming to next week’s event will be Sable, Lake, Echo Generation, The Riftbreaker, and dozens of additional indie titles. The demos will only be up for a week as the event ends on June 21.
This has been an exciting year for indies on Xbox platforms. ID@Xbox held its first-ever showcase with Twitch earlier this year showing off over fifty indie titles, a number of which, like Lake and The Riftbreaker, will appear as part of next week’s demo event. Several games show off at the presentation are due out over this year, and hopefully, Microsoft continues to work with these smaller titles for years to come.
In next week’s free event, Summer Game Fest will bring the show floor to players in the absence of in-person gaming expos, just without the lengthy lines. The week-long run time of ID@Xbox’s event means indie fans will have more time with each experience as well, which is good considering the number of demos included.
Source: Xbox, Xbox Wire/Twitter
