Developer Acceleration Program Spotlight: Macula Interactive

In 2023, the ID@Xbox Developer Acceleration Program was officially announced, with the mission to empower underrepresented creators with the resources and information needed to bring their creativity, innovation, and originality to Xbox. By removing longstanding barriers to entry for creators and normalizing diverse storylines and characters in gaming, both players and developers win.

The Developer Acceleration Program seeks to support developers who are led by those from Black, Indigenous, Latino or LGBTQIA+ communities, women, developers with disabilities, developers from emerging markets or teams with unique perspectives, and several other communities. This also includes independent developers working on a game that responsibly centers the experience around diverse characters or that prioritizes accessibility.

Since the program was announced, dozens of games have been released on Xbox to both critical acclaim and commercial success. With that in mind, we believe it is only fitting that we spotlight some of the creators behind these titles in a new recurring series on Microsoft Game Dev blog.

This week, we’re highlighting Macula Interactive, developer of the Developer Acceleration Program title Mexico 1921: A Deep Slumber. We had the chance to chat with Macula Interactive Founder and CEO Paolo Vera about her studio’s experience with the program and how DAP helped them successfully develop Mexico 1921: A Deep Slumber (a demo is available on Xbox now, so be sure to check it out).

Tell us about Macula Interactive.

Mácula Interactive is an indie video game studio based in Mexico City’s historic center. We’ve worked together the last four years focusing on developing narrative experiences based in Mexican history and culture. We’re a team of 8 people made up of animators, programmers, artist, historians, writers and producers and we’re working together on our first game as a team, Mexico, 1921: A Deep Slumber!

What can you tell us about Mexico 1921: A Deep Slumber?

Mexico, 1921: A Deep Slumber is a narrative adventure game where you play as Juan Aguirre. A photojournalist who will interview and photograph subjects, collect historical data and report the news that will shape Mexican history. We like to call this game a documentary game, not only because of the obvious historical subject but because its development has involved historians and even cultural institutions archive. This game is developed hand in hand with the National Newspaper Library and the Popular Arts Museum. These collaborations aim to transform this game into an interactive archive of Mexican post-revolutionary history.

What accomplishments are you most proud of as an independent studio?

Being able to work with local cultural institutions in developing a video game has been an important accomplishment for us and for local industry, it’s a milestone to have open doors with such academic institutions. And of course, launching our first game together! For small indie studios like us it all starts with a dream and making it a reality years later, with a tight team is truly an accomplishment for us.

What have been the biggest challenges you’ve faced as an independent studio?

Finding people that won’t say that this story won’t be interesting to everyone because it’s only interesting to Mexicans… and funding of course. That’s why the Developer Acceleration Program has made such a big difference for our studio. There is no way we could have ported our game to Xbox if we did not have this support. It has been crucial for us.

How did you learn about or connect with the Developer Acceleration Program?

We learnt from a colleague that knew about it, he recommended we apply, we did, and it’s been an absolute pleasure working with the ID@Xbox team. Best decision we ever made.

How has the Developer Acceleration Program impacted your game’s development?

It’s been very important in Mácula’s growth and development. In Mexico City, most of video game players usually play in an Xbox console and we knew that if we wanted Mexicans to play it, we had to be on Xbox. So, the porting program really made it possible for us to be available for a lot more people!

Why do you feel that programs like DAP are important to the health of the game industry?

These kinds of opportunities are what keeps the industry alive, if you ask me. There is no way indie developers can compete in this overly saturated market without this kind of support. It’s not only the opportunity to have your game on a console, but to have access to tools and training for you and your team to grow and be better developers.