The Xbox One used to have a particular rule that said titles had to be launched on the platform at the same time as other platforms. In essence this meant that if a developer wanted to publish to Xbox One, he or she had to make sure Microsoft’s platform was included in the first wave of releases. However, that requirement is now gone.
The news comes directly from Phil Spencer, the head of the Xbox division inside Microsoft. In a recent interview he was asked directly about whether this clause was officially dead, after not being enforced in the last year, and Spencer pretty much confirmed it:
I think so. There"s this idea that"s been named "parity clause," but there is no clause... If there"s a developer who"s building a game and they just can"t get the game done for both platforms--cool. We"ll take a staggered release. We"ve done it before, and we"ll work with them on that.
He explained that the rule was originally adopted to make Xbox One owners feel “first class”. But in a world where Microsoft is lagging behind Sony’s PlayStation 4, a rule like this that antagonizes developers has no place. Spencer went on to explain how working with developers instead of punishing them results in a win-win-win situation for everyone involved:
If another platform does a deal with you as a developer to build an exclusive version of your game for them, and you can"t ship on my platform for a year, when the game comes out in a year let"s just work together to make it special in some way. People complained about that, but you did a deal with somebody else and you got paid for it and I"m happy--we do those same deals, so I"m not knocking you. It"s going to be better for you, actually, because people don"t want last year"s game, they want something special and new.
The Xbox One strategy inside of Microsoft has seen a major shift since Spencer took over the division. Originally envisioned as a complete media and entertainment device, the console is now going back to its gaming roots. Spencer’s focus has been on games, developers and the wider community and building ties with all of them. The strategy seems to have worked in Microsoft’s favor and this is just the latest example that the company intends to continue.
Source: GamesRadar via: GameSpot