PS4 and PS Vita are regularly lauded as two of the most developer-friendly platforms in the console business, but Sony's Adam Boyes wants PlayStation to be the most simple and accessible platform possible.
Adam Boyes joined Sony as a dev relations exec in 2012In a newly published interview with CVG, the developer relations executive said "I would like [PlayStation] to be the easiest, most accessible place for anyone that's making great games to come out, and have their games come to the broadest amount of people".
Valve's Steam platform, as well as Apple's App Store, are widely accepted as the most hassle-free platforms to release on. While iOS publishing requires zero concept approval, Valve recently suggested it wants Steam to be fully open too. Whether Sony would take steps this far is uncertain, but Boyes made it clear he wants Sony to open up to as many indies as possible.
Speaking after a Sony press event on Wednesday, where Boyes revealed that more than 1000 independent developers are now licensed to self-publish on Sony platforms, the PlayStation executive described indies as "the heartbeat of the industry".
He said that supplying PS4 development kits to indies long before the console's general release, coupled with the system's PC-like architecture, are key to why certain developers have had a relatively easier time porting their games over.
"TowerFall alone took about eight weeks for them to port over. Octodad took eight or 10 weeks for them to bring over. So it's just making it easier for developers."
While questions regarding possible indie over-saturation were discussed on the latest CVG Off The Record podcast, Boyes believes indies help create the broadest church of content on PS4.
"For PlayStation it means a rich, diverse breadth of content. From the very top, big Call of Duty and Destiny and Battlefield and Maddens of the world, all the way to Starwhal: Just the Tip or Nidhogg."
He added that key to the company's success is its openness and sincerity when engaging with indie developers.
"I always like to say when people ask, 'oh, is it just a shtick?' No, talk to the developers. I'll tell you what I feel and believe, but the reality of it is that it comes from them. The day that we aren't good at this, and the day that we are just blowing smoke, is the day that they'll tell the world and the gig will be up."

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