More indie woes when working with Microsoft

Company lacks the vision, communication, and execution to be called ‘Evil’

“I personally would like to go back in time and kick myself in the balls. I’d just like to have that year and a half of my life back,” said Skulls of the Shogun developer Borut Pfeifer, in a recent interview with Rock, Paper, Shotgun regarding his experiences working with Microsoft.

This seems to be the normal thought nowadays from indie developers after signing an exclusive deal with them. For Pfeifer, this story of woe is further complicated by the troubles of Windows 8, the non iPad killing Surface tablet, and the diminished success of Xbox Live Arcade.

It’s a real intriguing article and definitely worth the read. There’s talks about not getting paid on time, the major headaches caused by the lack of a cohesive certification process across the company’s multiple platforms, and the overall absence of vision Microsoft has for the indie scene. 

I’m saddened every time another story comes out like this, but by the influx of developers hopping ship to the PS4 I think “most” indie devs have finally learned. Will Microsoft ever learn? Who knows. Thankfully, Skulls of the Shogun is getting a second chance with the definitive Bone-A- Fide edition available this July on Steam. 

The Sorry Saga of Skulls of the Shogun & Windows 8 [Rock, Paper, Shotgun]