During the most recent episode of Microsoft’s Inner Circle podcast, ID@Xbox director Chris Charla revealed that he “would love to see” Hello Games’ space exploration sim No Man’s Sky launch on Xbox One.
Currently scheduled to debut on PlayStation 4 before making its way onto PC at a later date, the eye-catching title has drew praise from across the industry for its blue-sky thinking and procedural design. Although, Charla noted that if it is to be ported to Microsoft’s current-gen console, the decision ultimately rests in the hands of Hello Games.
However, the director also admitted that many indie developers may be dissuaded from bringing software to the Xbox One due to Microsoft’s controversial launch parity clause, which states that games must launch for the console on the same day as rival systems, such as the PS4 and PC.
Speaking about the policy, here’s what Charla had to say on the matter:
“If you’re worried about policies,” he said, “we try to be really easy to get in touch with. When we talk to developers, we try to be really transparent. Don’t assume that something you read on Neogaf is our policy, just talk to us.”
Microsoft may have kicked the hornet’s nest back before the Xbox One made its way to market, through numerous business-friendly decisions such as DRM and the used games debacle. Thankfully, the Redmond-based company has peeled back a lot of those strategies in favor of a more consumer-centric mantra, but is the launch parity clause another kink to be ironed out?
What do you think? Microsoft believes this clause will make Xbox One owners feel “first class,” but if it prevents games such as No Man’s Sky from making their way to the system, is it really necessary? Let us know your thoughts below.
