In a Game Rant interview,ID@XboxDirector Guy Richards reveals that the program has paid over $5 billion in royalties to independent developers.ID@Xboxwas announced in late 2013 before launching in 2014, meaning that the program has hit this massive number just over its decade mark.
ID@Xbox works in conjunction with other Xbox initiatives, likeXbox Play Anywhere, Game Pass, and the Developer Acceleration program, to help bring independent developers into the Xbox ecosystem. ID@Xbox provides technical resources like SDKs, educational resources like talks,marketing resources in and out of Game Pass, and much more. Today, the Xbox ecosystem consists of PCs, consoles, and the Cloud (and through the Cloud various streaming devices), meaning the Xbox ecosystem is a great way to get games on various platforms for gamers from all walks of life.
The Growth of ID@Xbox
Now, ID@Xbox has worked with over5000 developers globally,shipping roughly 6000 games, andpaying out $5 billion in royalties. When asked about the growth of the program, Richards said, “Today, we’re working with 5000 developers globally that have shipped 6000 games onto Xbox, across all of our devices, and we’re thrilled that the program has now reached over $5 billion in royalties that we’ve paid to independent developers since the program first started.”
This is remarkable and, to some, almost a pinch-me moment. Richards went on to say,
“I think if you were to ask anybody who was here when we started the program if we’d be achieving those numbers in 2025, they wouldn’t believe it. They’re really, really big numbers. I think that is a huge testament to the creativity of independent developers, as well as the willingness of everybody at Xbox to support developers all around the world and find ways to make it easier to bring games into the ecosystem. Of course, it’s also a testament to our fans who have the passion to play all these incredible games coming to all of our devices.”
New ID@Xbox Stats and Figures (March 2025)
Some Upcoming ID@Xbox Games
With these stats, however, ID@Xbox is not resting on its laurels. The work continues for Richards and his team, with the former highlighting some upcoming releases that Xbox fans should keep an eye out for:Descenders Next, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, andHollow Knight: Silksong, all of which arereleasing on Xbox Game Passas well. “We’re really excited about them, and we can’t wait to see the reaction of players when they get to experience these games on all of our devices,” said Richards.
