No Indie Games On Kinect For Now

Microsoft has always said Kinect was like a new platform, but one sector of gaming – indie games – will have to wait for its debut with the motion peripheral.

Speaking to Digital Spy, a Microsoft spokesperson made it sound like developers working on Kinect launch games were the first priority, and that indie development might be considered later on. "At this time, only developers with established contracts with Microsoft have the ability to create Kinect games. Like full retail Xbox 360 games and Xbox Live Arcade games, Kinect games will be created by a select group of publishers that Microsoft has partnered with for the launch. Opening up Kinect development to XNA Creators Club members is something we may consider in the future, but no plans can be confirmed at this time."

In a recent interview with Edge, Kinect general manager Kudo Tsunoda said that Kinect development wouldn't be cost prohibitive. Still, looking at how much of a cut the company demands of developers for XBLA games as an example, it'll be interesting to see how many indies make Kinect games if and when Microsoft opens the development doors.