PlayStation 4's "better terms" make it "easier" for indies, says Gone Home dev

Xbox One's parity cvlause gives PlayStation 4 an advantage in attracting indies unsure which system to back, according to The Fullbright Company's Steve Gaynor.

Although not a hard and fast rule, ID@Xbox has a parity clause that means some developers can't bring their game to the system if it has already release on a PlayStation console. Speaking with NowGamer, Gaynor said it would be "crazy" for a small team like his to try and release a game on multiple systems simultaneously.

"Especially if it’s a game like ours that is a full 3D game and you’re going to run into obscure rendering bugs and all this kind of stuff. It would be a huge undertaking," he said.

As a result, if a developer has to choose between the two, the PS4 looks like the better option, he said,

"If you’re talking to Sony and Microsoft, and Microsoft is like, 'well you can’t be on Xbox if you’re on PlayStation first', but it’s easier to be on PS4 because they have better terms, then you’ll be like, 'okay lets just be on PlayStation'," Gaynor said.

But, as the developer pointed out, there are "tons of different options" for developers now, and what works for one team might not be best for another.

"The great thing is that in this day and age, there’s no one path that you have to take, which I think is a good thing for everybody," he said.

The Fullbright Company produced Gone Home, a pretty excellent exploratory adventure nominated for D.I.C.E. and GDC Awards.

Thanks, Dragon.