Minneapolis video game developer getting major recognition from Microsoft, Xbox

A Minneapolis video game developer is getting some major recognition from Microsoft and Xbox.

Tribe Games Founder Charles McGregor, who is the first black video game developer in Minnesota, is preparing a launch party for his new game on Saturday at Mall of America.

"It's been a dream come true," said McGregor.

McGregor started Tribe Games 10 years ago when he was 16. Now he's working with Glitch, the publisher, on his latest project, HyperDot.

"You play as a dot, and there's a bunch of shapes that come in, and you just need to avoid all the different shapes," McGregor said.

When he knew he had something special, he brought the idea to Xbox.

"Super nervous, I was like, 'Oh yeah, do you think that we'd be able to show off the game to you,'" McGregor said.

It turns out they loved it.

Now, HyperDot is available to gamers all across the world by merely purchasing and downloading it on your favorite console.

"I really enjoy seeing people play the game," McGregor said.

Something that Microsoft and Xbox loved is how HyperDot supports disabled gamers.

"We have the foot controller here where you can use your feet to control the game," McGregor said.

McGregor said Microsoft has accessibility controllers, and he said the simple mechanics of his game make it easy to support them.

"Having it that more people are able to enjoy the experience of playing video games is super important," McGregor said.

Once a dream, it's now a reality for McGregor.

"When I was younger, I was looking up to game developers, and like, 'I want to be like that,'" McGregor said.

Now, as the first black video game developer in Minnesota, he's hoping to inspire someone else and someday play their game.

"The possibility I could be that to someone else is just mindblowing," McGregor said.