With Microsoft set to ship its Project Helix development kit in 2027, the company aims to attract more independent game developers.
Steam is usually the obvious choice to give small projects quick exposure, but Xbox’s director of independent developers, Guy Richards, believes that supporting the new platform may increase sales opportunities.
During GDC 2026, Richards spoke with The Game Business about the role of indie developers with Project Helix, noting that there are still unanswered questions about the system, including whether exclusives will play a role, or if all games will support Windows. However, developing games for PC ensures that they are compatible with new hardware.
If Helix supports Steam and other markets, as rumors indicate, some studios may continue to work directly with Valve, which means that these games will not appear on the Xbox Store or app, and will not provide cross-play functionality such as Play Anywhere.
Regarding the reason why some independent games bypass Steam, Richards explained that Microsoft is adopting a “develop once and publish everywhere” approach, through the Game Development Kit (GDK), which expands the reach of the published game, making it available not only on computers and the new Xbox platform, but also on mobile devices and smart TVs.
He adds that “publishing the game on the largest possible number of stores and platforms increases sales opportunities,” noting that current Xbox partners make more than $100,000 per project, which is a small number for large studios but rare on Steam.
However, Microsoft will face a major challenge in competing with Valve’s dominance of the PC market, especially with the Steam Machine targeting the same audience expected for the new Xbox platform.
Critics also point out that Play Anywhere may reduce recurring sales on different devices, and that some projects may fit Steam’s traditional pricing model better than a Game Pass subscription.
