Xbox Live Creators Program

To connect your game to Xbox Live and publish it on Xbox One and Windows 10, you will need a Microsoft Developer Account. Individual accounts cost approximately $19 USD, and company accounts cost approximately $99 USD (the exact amounts may vary depending on your country or region). This is a one-time registration fee and no renewal is required.

Yes, Creators Collection games can have DLC and in-game purchases if the developer so chooses.

On Xbox One, which offers gamers a curated store experience, games published through Creators Program will be sold in the Creators Collection. This offers a balance between ensuring an open platform where anyone can develop and ship a game, and the curated store experience consoles gamers have come to know and expect. On Windows 10, Creators Program games will be sold among all other games in the standard Windows Store.

Our commitment to providing a great multiplayer and Achievements experience on Xbox Live requires additional development and certification resources. Multiplayer and achievements aren’t supported for Creators Program games because that enables us to maintain that great experience. Developers that want access to the full set of Xbox Live features have the option to apply and enroll in the ID@Xbox program.

Developers can publish games through both ID@Xbox and the Creators Program, on a title-by-title basis. However, they can’t publish the same game through both programs at the same time.

Yes, simply head to xbox.com/id and apply. The ID@Xbox team will respond and explain the transition steps.

Games created through the Xbox Live Creators Program will be distributed in the Creators Collection section of the store. A game developer can apply to transition from the Xbox Live Creators Program to the ID@Xbox program, bringing their game from the Creators Collection to the rest of the store.

While we want to give developers more choice in how they bring their games to Xbox Live, we have enforcement procedures in place to ensure developers and their games adhere to our Store policies and Developer Code of Conduct.Inappropriate content will be flagged and reviewed through our certification system. The Xbox Live Policy and Enforcement team also conducts regular audits of the Store. On Xbox One, you can report inappropriate content on the game’s product page in the Store. And because these games are rated, all family and privacy settings that use game ratings will work as usual.

Yes, all Creators Program games will need the free IARC ratings available in Windows Dev Center. Regions that aren’t part of the IARC will have the opportunity to acquire certification manually, and after proof of certification, can then be published in the Creators Collection.