Microsoft has announced that it is to begin accepting applicants for its Independent Developers @ Xbox program this week with submissions receiving responses this week.
Applied to ID@Xbox? Keep an eye on your inbox: responses are being sent out this week! #XboxOne http://t.co/aqrM115aiR
— ID@Xbox (@ID_Xbox) September 4, 2013
The program will begin in earnest when the Xbox One is released in thirteen countries on November 22nd. Developers who sign up for the program and are accepted recieve two free Xbox One dev kits.
At a later, unspecified time, developers will be able to use any retail model Xbox One for game making and self publication. The program will support free-to-play, microtransactions, and premium pricing models.
When the program was announced Mark Whitten, Xbox chief product officer, said:
"Our vision is that every person can be a creator. That every Xbox One can be used for development. That every game and experience can take advantage of all of the features of Xbox One and Xbox LIVE. This means self-publishing. This means Kinect, the cloud, achievements. This means great discoverability on Xbox LIVE."
The Xbox One will be available generally for $499/€499/£429.