Microsoft's indie game initiative ID@Xbox had its first indie showcase with Twitch Gaming on Friday, highlighting a flood of indies including Among Us, The Wild at Heart, Twelve Minutes, and so many more that are bound for Xbox consoles.
One of the fan-favorite games of the show, Among Us, started its relationship with Xbox relatively recently. Though the social deception game came out in 2018, it only gained worldwide renown in 2020. In December, the game revealed it would take one giant leap into Microsoft’s console and Xbox Game Pass. The Twitter announcement, in typical fashion for both companies, was full of personality. The social media interactions between the two continued to catch players’ eyes following the announcement, especially one thread centered around a clash over one bizarre question: could the Xbox Series X survive in a pool of lava? The next exciting content drop for Among Us, which was featured in Xbox’s indie-centric showcase, is the Airship map. The new area will introduce all new rooms, tasks, and features like ladders.
The debut of Xbox’s indie showcase on Twitch brought together reveal trailers, game updates, and developer interviews for more than eighty titles - all of which will be coming to Xbox and/or PC. Alongside high-profile games like Among Us and Twelve Minutes were indie titles like The Wild at Heart, Adios, Lake, Little Witch in the Woods, The Big Con, and so many more. Of the indie games shown, over twenty will hit Xbox Game Pass at launch, including Hello Neighbor 2, Way to the Woods, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, and Sable. A large portion of the event was dedicated to sitting down with independent creators to dive further into the games being shown.
Fans waiting for Among Us’ Airship map coming out March 31 got a little bit more information on the new level from InnerSloth during the course of Xbox’s showcase. It was confirmed that the Airship map will have a fully connected vent system, will come with free cosmetic items for players, and also the company is hoping to bring bigger lobbies to the game sometime in the future.
New information and fun, indie reveals were also sprinkled throughout the presentation. Early in the show, Moonlight Kids’ The Wild at Heart got a brand-new trailer showcasing the games delightful visuals and Pikmin-like mechanics. The end of the video revealed the game’s release date as May 20. Astria Ascending, which was unveiled earlier this week, got an official Xbox announcement at the showcase. The game, which has Final Fantasy veterans Kazushige Nojima and Hitoshi Sakamoto on the team, is coming later this year and will be featured on Xbox Game Pass.
First announced back in 2013, ID@Xbox has been around for a relatively long time, and it is great to see the program partner with Twitch Gaming to share information on household names like Among Us, and the lesser-known titles with a larger audience. Perhaps as the summer gets closer, and the season of presentations begin, we could see more on the indies coming to Xbox consoles.
Source: Xbox/Twitch