What is the Xbox Creators Program? | Xbox Overview

What is the Xbox Creators Program?
Published July 2021

The Launch
The Xbox Live Creators Program went live in August 2017. Not to be confused with the ID@Xbox program, which spotlights more high-profile indie games, the Creators Program will allow potentially anybody to publish a title in the store and allowing for more small-scale titles to hit the market. Games released through the Creators Program lack many features in standard Xbox titles, including no achievements and lack of online support. Even if a developer uses a workaround to allow for online play, it's going to be difficult to find populated games in such obscure titles. If it sounds similar to the Xbox Live Indie Games (XBLIG) section on the Xbox 360, that's because it is...

There was a sense of déjà vu when the Creators Program launched, bringing back memories of how the XBLIG were buried within the storefront, making them difficult to stumble upon by accident. The Creators Program storefront was only accessible from the front page of the store, which sounds good at first until you realize that this isn't necessarily a frequently navigated page. Most users will check the new games and the deals, neither of which feature Creators Program games. With the Creators Program service being so similar to what XBLIG was offering, it's a bit of a bummer that they didn't just carry those games over to the Xbox One rather than just close that storefront and ditch the thousands of games that had been submitted on the service.

Brutal Chase (Xbox One, 2018)

Brutal Chase 

Developed/Published by Gamer Bear

Released for Xbox One (12/15/2018)

 

Brutal Chase was developed by Gamer Bear (the same ones that brought us Coconut Farm 3D) and was released under the Creators Collection program in December 2018. If you've ever played any of the arcade classic Chase HQ games then you'll know what to expect from Brutal Chase. The gameplay involves taking to the streets in a police car and ramming your vehicle into criminals as a means of apprehending them. We haven't had the best experience with these Creators Collection games thus far, but with such a cool premise and cheap price tag, I was more than willing to take a chance on this one. Without further ado, let's get into it and see if this one is worth ninety-nine cents that it cost to play it....

In Brutal Chase you'll smash up the cars of criminals in 9 different locations scattered across the globe. The game starts off in New York, but also features stages in San Francisco, Vancouver, Mexico, Isle of Man, Hamburg, Barcelona and Agra. As you smash up the criminals, you'll accumulate credits which can be spent between missions in order to upgrade your current car or purchase a new vehicle. There are a total of 5 vehicles to purchase, with each featuring more stats to grind your way towards upgrading. While pursuing the criminals you'll also have to watch out for civilian traffic, since colliding with innocent cars will deduct credits from your wallet. 

Boxing.free (Xbox One, 2017)

Boxing.free
Developed/Published by SkyLine Gamez
Released for Xbox One (10/17/2017)
Also on Mobile/PC

Boxing.free is another game that was originally released for mobile devices and eventually wound up getting a port to the Xbox One via the Creator's Collection. This market is full of mobile games that nobody ever asked for to be ported over to consoles, and Boxing.free fits that description to a tee.

The game was free, so it does at least live up to its title of Boxing.free. The game being free comes at a cost however, and as soon as you load the game up you'll notice that you're bombarded with ads on the sides and top of the screen. These annoying advertisements take up a nice chunk of the screen. The actual game screen is featured in the center. I had a difficult time even figuring out how to start the game, since the game tries to trick you into clicking on the ads at first. In order to play, you must first highlight the game screen, press A so the cursor appears on it and then highlight the play button. Right from the get-go Boxing.free is not a good experience.

Pacific Wings (Xbox One, 2019 | XBLIG, 2012)

Pacific Wings
Developed/Published by Sprakelsoft GmbH
Released for Xbox One (6/25/2019) | Xbox Live Indie Games (8/2/2012)
Also on Android/iOS/PS4/Switch

Pacific Wings is a rather blatant clone of the old Capcom arcade classic 1942. The player flies an American P-38 blasting down waves of Japanese planes, exactly like the old arcade classic. Looking at screenshots or footage of the game shows some promise, with pixel-graphics that invoke a nice retro vibe. Here we'll take a look at the trial for Pacific Wings on the Xbox One and see how it holds up when compared to the original that inspired it or if it's even worth playing at all.

Solitaire HD (Xbox One, 2017)

Solitaire HD
Developed by Bernardo Zamora
Published by Iron Apps
Released for Xbox One (7/2017)
Also on PC/Mobile

 

The Creators Program (formerly known as the Creator's Collection) storefront on the Xbox One hasn't really made much noise (most Xbox users probably don't even know it exists), and with just a quick browse through the titles available it's easy to see why. For the most part, the games look like low-end mobile games with very simple game-play. So among the many uninteresting titles on the service, somehow Solitaire HD stands out a bit. I've always enjoyed a good game of solitaire every now and then, so let's take a look and see how this version plays.

Pill Mania HD (Xbox One, 2018)

Pill Mania HD
Developed by Sprakelsoft
Released for Xbox One (3/2018)
Also on iOS

Pill Mania HD is a port of a mobile game released way back in 2013, and to be quite frank that's exactly what it feels like. The game comes from Sprakelsoft, the same folks who brought us the underwhelming Croc's World. The game is a blatant Dr. Mario rip-off, to the point Nintendo might be able to take legal action should they choose to do so. Just being a rip-off alone doesn't make a game bad, but unfortunately Pill Mania HD just doesn't measure up to the game it mimics.

Gun-Pile (Xbox One, 2017)

Gun-Pile
Developed by Moheiji
Released for Xbox One (8/2017)
Also on PC

Gun-Pile is a horizontal shoot 'em up that was created using Unity, released for the PC and Xbox One in 2017. This is a caravan shooter, meaning you have two minutes to rack up as big of a score as possible. Gun-Pile has a unique weapon system, with five or so different weapon types that are scattered all across the playfield. You're allowed to stack a certain amount of weaponry on top of your ship, which will mix and match differently depending on the strength of the weapon. For instance, you can have up to six of the standard laser stacked up or you can have three of the hyper laser. It's an interesting system and makes every playthrough a bit different.

Space Cat! (Xbox One, 2017)

Space Cat!
Developed by Gersh Games LLC
Released for Xbox One (5/2017)
Also on PC

Space Cat! is an on-rails shooter that was developed using Unity. The StarFox influence is evident right off the bat, with "animal people" piloting fighter ships. You fly your ship down a linear path and there is very evident pop-in. The graphics in Space Cat! are composed of blocks that are supposed to represent pixels so maybe the pop-up was intentional to give it a retro look. The game definitely would have benefited from a more detailed graphic style, but what's here is okay. The voices sound very unexcited, and everybody is speaking low as if they're trying not to wake their parents in the next room or something. There are some sound effects that sound pretty stock but they serve their purpose.

Space Cat! features five levels with a decent variety of settings including outer space, islands in the sky, molten seas, lowlands and a hidden ship. When you're shot down the game gives you an option to retry, where you can continue at a number of checkpoints found throughout the stages. The movement of the ship feels a bit floaty, making it hard to dodge obstacles. You do have a roll maneuver assigned to the right trigger, which grants you temporary invulnerability and can be spammed while also mashing the fire button. There's also a couple weapon power-ups that enemies will drop, such as one that doubles your laser or rockets. Enemies also drop rings, which are just something to collect for score.

Bushido - Battle of Blades (Xbox One, 2017)

Bushido - Battle of Blades
Developed by Game Gen
Released for Xbox One (10/2017)

Bushido - Battle of Blades is a free game released through the Xbox Creators Program. The only information provided on how to play the game is provided at the title screen, which states "Attack when you see !!" and that's it. So prepare to enter Bushido completely confused as to what's going on. Pressing B button at any time will back out of the game so watch yourself on that one (I've noticed this in a couple Creators Program games now).

Sibroids (Xbox One, 2017)

Sibroids
Developed by Bush Consulting
Released for Xbox One (12/2017)

Sibroids description in the storefront is "arcade-style scrolling shooter-game." That's the entire game description provided by the developer and it really doesn't really tell us much about what the game actually is. At a glance of the screenshot provided, the game looked like it was going to play similar to the arcade classic Asteroids. To my disappointment after playing Sibroids I discovered that this game is actually far inferior to that early '80's classic and also nowhere near as fun to play.

Coconut Farm 3D (Xbox One, 2017)

Coconut Farm 3D
Developed by Gamer Bear
Released for Xbox One (11/2017)
Also on Android/Windows Phone

Coconut Farm 3D is a maze game in the vein of the arcade classic Pac-Man. You play as one of four different animals and your objective is to eat all of the coconuts. There are of course enemies scattered about the levels that will try to impede your progress. At the main menu screen you have the option to select from a cow, rooster, cat or pig. Each plays exactly the same other than the graphical difference and the sound clip used when you eat an enemy.

The graphics look decent for what they are. As the title promises, all of the in-game graphics are rendered in 3D. They went for a cutesy look on all of the characters and does help to add a bit of flavor to the game. There's a decent variety of enemies and the game does a good job of familiarizing you with each as the game progresses. There are zombies, ghosts, werewolves, ogres and dragons. Each has a different behavior trait that will help you anticipate their movement. The dragons in particular are notable since they continuously replenish the coconuts you've been eating, so they will become quite the nuisance. In addition to the coconuts you need to gobble up to compete the level there are some power-ups scattered about. You have the purple pellet, which just like the power pellets in Pac-Man will allow you to take out your enemies for a limited time. They will respawn into the maze shortly after, but it can help clear out an area long enough for you to snag all the coconuts. There's also a freeze power-up that will stop the enemies dead in their tracks temporarily.

Croc's World - Xbox Edition (Xbox One, 2017 | XBLIG, 2014)

Croc's World (Xbox-Edition)
Developed by Sprakelsoft
Released for Xbox One (10/2017) | Xbox Live Indie Games (5/17/2014)
Also on iOS/PC

Croc's World (Xbox-Edition) is a release for the somewhat obscure section on the Xbox One's game store called the Creators Collection. This was originally released for the iOS and the Xbox 360 indie games store, but according the developer this version adds two new worlds with thirty additional levels. I am unable to confirm if this is true as the free version they have up for download only lets you play two levels and then promptly asks the player to pay $1.99 to continue on. Before I get into why I had no desire to pay the fee, let's quickly talk about the gameplay.