Microsoft said it will allow indie game creators to self-publish their content on the upcoming Xbox One console, a dramatic departure from its current policy on the Xbox 360.

Additionally, Microsoft said that every Xbox One could be turned into a development kit, saving smaller developers thousands of dollars on hardware and giving them an environment to create and test games.

"Our vision is that every person can be a creator," Marc Whitten, corporate vice president at Xbox said in a statement to Polygon. "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."

Microsoft had been silent on the future of independent games on its new console. If indies want their games to reach the Xbox Live Arcade, the Xbox 360's digital distribution platform, they have to partner with a publisher that has boxed games on retail store shelves. Previously, Microsoft had expensive patch fees as well, which would cost developers tens of thousands of dollars if they wanted to ship out an update to their game via XBLA. Microsoft waived those in April.

Market pressure may have factored in on Microsoft's decision, as Sony has gone out of its way to promote how easy it is for indie games to get onto the PlayStation 4. During its E3 presentation, Sony featured several indie games prominently alongside triple-A titles, and its booth featured a banner that proclaimed "We [heart] Indies."

We have contacted Microsoft and are awaiting comment.

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Image: Mashable, Chelsea Stark