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'Every developer is a publisher' on PlayStation 4 - Sony

Sony is putting processes in place to streamline independent game publishing on PS4; developers to get access to promotional tools and project feedback.

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Sony is making moves to actively streamline the publishing process for independent game developers on the PlayStation 4, as well as providing game feedback and promotional support, according to a presentation at the Develop conference held in the UK this week, as reported by Joystiq.

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The comments, made by Sony senior account manager of publisher and developer relations at Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Agostino Simonetta, reinforce the commitment demonstrated this year during the company’s E3 press conference, where it showcased a range of upcoming indie games, including Octodad: Dadliest Catch, Transistor, and Divekick.

"Every single individual developer is a publisher as far as we're concerned," said Simonetta."We don't separate; we don't segregate indies from traditional publishers."

Simonetta explained that self-publishing indie developers will be able to dictate the release date of their games on the PlayStation 4. Teams will also be able to take advantage of the PlayStation Blog and Sony’s Twitter and Facebook social media presences, and work to create promotions, provided the game is of high enough quality. "It boils down to the objective quality of your title," Simonetta said.

If requested by developers, the console manufacturer will happily provide optional feedback on games currently in production. Sony is also putting systems and processes in place to break down some of the roadblocks that have traditionally slowed bringing games to market. Once a concept has been submitted to Sony, development teams will be able to find out within a week whether their game can be supported on the PS4 platform.

"In the past, we used to provide developers feedback on the gameplay of their game," Simonetta said. "We still do that today, if you want. You need to a tick a box and say, 'I'd be happy to listen to what Sony has to say.' If you like it, you can implement it in your game; if you don't, you can completely disregard it.

"We really believe that as a self-publishing company, the final quality of your product is with you. And no company is set up to deliver a bad game."

More than 500 self-published games are currently available on Sony’s PlayStation Network.

Earlier this week at the same conference, PS4 architect Mark Cerny said that the numbers of indie developers developing for PlayStation platforms will continue to grow at a fast rate.

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