Microsoft said its ID@Xbox indie gaming label has paid out $5 billion to date to independent game developers. Now that’s a real game economy.

In a blog post during the Game Developers Conference, Guy Richards, director of ID@Xbox, said ID@Xbox has launched over 1,000 games in the past year. The titles include fan favorites like Balatro, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, and Phasmophobia, bringing new experiences to console and PC
communities.

Since ID@Xbox was launched in 2013, more than $5 billion has been paid to independent developers from all over the world.

“We’re also proud to offer developers the ability to use our platform to maximize the opportunity to reach an audience across multiple screens,” Richards said.

As announced last week, over 1,000 titles are now supporting Xbox Play Anywhere (XPA). When players purchase an XPA game, they can play on Xbox and Windows 10/11 PCs at no additional cost, bringing their saves, progress and achievements across devices. This means players can access their favorite games in more places which has led to these titles getting 20% more play time.

Today, Richards said Xbox offers more places than ever to play independent games: Xbox consoles, gaming PCs, and laptops, Windows handhelds like the ASUS ROG Ally X or Legion Go, mobile phones, tablets, Samsung and Amazon FireSticks enabled by the cloud. Among the hits are Another Crab’s Treasure, Neva, and Animal Well.

In addition to offering more ways for people to play, the Developer Acceleration Program (DAP) is ensuring that Xbox has content that speaks to everyone. The program fosters innovation for over 200 teams and creators from different countries around the world.

“We help developers by hosting information sessions with studios, providing port and prototype funding, and helping to reduce costs of bringing games to Xbox and building new ideas,” Richards said.

The Xbox Excellence Award-winning Botany Manor and the recently released Mullet Madjack are recent DAP titles, both of which are available today with Xbox Game Pass.

The mission with ID@Xbox has been to empower teams to achieve more with Xbox. Over the years, the program has evolved to bring ID@Xbox games to players on more screens and in new ways through Game Pass and Stream Your Own Game.

“We’re focused on helping independent teams enable Xbox Play Anywhere to reach more players – allowing seamless play across console, PC, and cloud. No matter where people choose to play, we’re working with developers to make the most of the features unique to that device or screen,” Richards said. “Looking ahead, our lineup is incredible with upcoming games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Descenders Next, and FBC: Firebreak to play across the whole Xbox universe… and of course Hollow Knight: Silksong too.”

The company is hosting developers from 10 countries at its annual hands-on preview event for press and creators. Among them are 11 Xbox Play Anywhere and six Xbox Game Pass titles, including Winter Burrow from Pinecreek in Denmark, Detective Dotson from Masala Games in India, and Promise Mascot Academy from Kaizen Works in the UK.