Publishing games using Partner Center
To publish a game to XBOX or the Microsoft Store on Windows, you use Partner Center. Partner Center is a web portal used to configure and publish products of all types including games, bundles, and add-ons. Some studios create a Partner Center account as soon as they start development, while others wait until they’re in production or when they’re close to release. It all depends on what you’re developing and what features you need that are accessed or configured using the Partner Center portal. If you’re registering for ID@XBOX, you’re directed to create a Partner Center account during your onboarding. After you open your Partner Center account, you create your game, upload your packages (game builds), and provide information such as age ratings, Microsoft Store details, and pricing. When you’re ready, you can submit your product for Certification. We test the game packages, and review your Store listings and pricing information. After you pass Certification, you’ll publish your product and make it available to customers in the Microsoft Store. Partner Center also offers many features to help you manage your product and engage with your customers, including:- Package flighting to specific audiences.
- Details about product ratings and reviews, and mechanisms to respond to customers.
- Promotional codes.
- Reports about your game’s health and customer engagement.
- Management and publishing: Manage pricing, define release markets and release dates. Configure product metadata and Store listing information. Obtain an age rating for your product. Monitor game sales and performance in the Microsoft Store.
- Creative: Upload art assets to create engaging Store listings and promotional materials.
- Development: Configure XBOX services and publish packages to a sandbox for development and testing. Create and configure add-ons for product. Upload game packages for Certification and release.