The 2012 Independent Games Festival will mark the event's 14th anniversary, and in recent years, it has not been uncommon for at least a couple of games to land a publisher following the show. Although the IGF is still months away, one title is already guaranteed a publishing agreement through a partnership between festival organizers and Microsoft.

　　Coming soon to an Xbox 360 near you: The 2012 IGF XBLA Prize winner. The IGF announced today a new multiyear partnership with Microsoft, in which the winner of the new XBLA Prize category will receive a publishing deal for the Xbox 360, PC, and Windows Phone 7. The category winner will be chosen from Main Competition or Student Showcase entrants.

　　The XBLA Prize recipient will be given access to Microsoft's suite of publishing services, as well as funding to finish the game, if needed. The publishing services entail "best in class usability, testing, and production aid to help complete their game, as well as the game gaining a sought-after 'slot' to officially release the title on Xbox Live Arcade and other platforms."

　　The 2012 Independent Games Festival takes place March 5-9 in San Francisco as part of the annual Game Developers Conference. Recent IGF award-winning titles that have seen commercial releases include Minecraft, Limbo, Machinarium, and more.