Update:

Microsoft's Marc Whitten clarified to IGN that not all of these features will be available at launch (including the ability to use any console as a dev kit), but the goal is to make the process have "as low of a barrier to entry as possible" for independent developers.

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"This has actually been a key pillar for how we thought about Xbox One," Whitten told IGN. "It's why we did a bunch of the work around not just the console, but how we architect Xbox Live. There's so much that was, from my perspective, missing from the 360 gen. The fact that indie devs couldn't get access to the Live services was because of the fact that it was PartnerNet, it was dev kits. We had to go back and re-architect those systems to be in a position where we thought we could do this right."Microsoft Game Studios VP Phil Spencer added that all games will be available in the same place on Xbox Live rather than separated into narrow sections that limit discovery, though players will still be able to select categories to assist in search."We want people to find the best games on the platform, whether that's a [AAA game], a game from three guys in a garage or a game from Twisted Pixel," he said. "Today I think people think of that indie section of the Marketplace as something that's restrictive, like you're segregated out. In the future think of it as there's one store, and maybe there's an indie pivot, but that's additive to the experience."Whitten said more specific details will be revealed in the weeks to come.

Microsoft has reversed its policy and will allow independent developers to release Xbox One games without requiring a publisher. Moreover, any Xbox One console will be able to operate as a debug unit, allowing Microsoft to approve specific systems to play games that are still in development.Xbox corporate vice president Marc Whitten provided the following statement to IGN:

“Our vision is that every person can be a creator. That every Xbox One can be used for development. That every game and experience can take advantage of all of the features of Xbox One and Xbox Live. This means self-publishing. This means Kinect, the cloud, achievements. This means great discoverability on Xbox Live. We'll have more details on the program and the timeline at Gamescom in August.”

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This marks a reversal of the policy Microsoft announced after the Xbox One’s initial reveal , which stated that publishers would still be required for independent games. Recently, Microsoft also stopped charging developers for releasing patches on Xbox 360.Microsoft joins Sony and Nintendo, who both allow independent developers to release games with no publisher. Their reversal may sway the opinion of multiple developers who sided with Sony in June , citing self-publishing as a reason their games were more likely to appear on Sony systems.We've reached out to Microsoft for further clarification, so look out for more on IGN later today.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following @garfep on Twitter or garfep on IGN.