Microsoft Considering Achievement, Kinect Support for Indy Games

Remember when Microsoft first introduced indy game developers to their XNA kit? Not only would it let nearly anyone release a game — provided that they had the necessary skills, — but, more importantly, it would help get their names out to larger game publishers.

The only catch? It didn’t have a lot of extra features that the 360 was capable of. Most noticeably, achievements and leaderboards, leading many to believe that the honeymoon would soon be over.

Well, after a period of listening to developer feedback it appears that Microsoft may finally include these features in future editions of the kit.

“We’re collectively re-visiting all of that now. With each version of XNA Game Studio, we’ve prided ourselves in listening to your feedback and providing features and capabilities that our Creators have specifically asked for,” said Dave Mitchell, a representative from Microsoft who happens to work on the XNA kits on Microsoft’s app hub.

Other features that they’re considering include Kinect API Support, which would be huge considering the success of Microsoft’s motion control peripheral.