Xbox One Outlast Release Shows Microsoft Doesn't Require Launch Parity for Indies

Indicating a continuing commitment to indie games, Microsoft has launched Outlast, the indie horror game from developer Red Barrels, on Xbox One.

The game focuses on the experience of a journalist who breaks into an insane asylum in Colorado. He is armed with only a night-vision camera and the ability to hide, so it becomes a game of patience and caution as you guide the character through the asylum's corridors.

The game was released in February on PlayStation 4 and September 2013 on PC. The release on Xbox One indicates a growing willingness from Microsoft to move past its launch parity clause in its independent publishing program. The controversial clause requires that, for an indie game to be released on Xbox, it cannot be released earlier on another platform.

However, in March Microsoft said that it would look at indie games on a "case-by-case basis" to determine if it would allow them to launch on Xbox One after other platforms. The release of Outlast on Xbox after PS4 and PC is one of the first games to fulfill this promise.

Microsoft's Chris Charla offered the following statement to GameSpot about the release: "We’re really excited about the content ID@Xbox game developers are creating for Xbox One, including Outlast from Red Barrels and Sixty Second Shooter Prime from Happion Laboratories, both launching today. We want players on Xbox One to have access to the broadest and most diverse selection of innovative games. Obviously independent games are a huge part of that, and through ID@Xbox we’re committed to bringing gamers both new independent game innovations and fan favorites."

GameSpot reviewed Outlast when it was released on PS4 and thought it was pretty good.