diff --git a/source/dub/commandline.d b/source/dub/commandline.d
index 04c2e34..0b37efb 100644
--- a/source/dub/commandline.d
+++ b/source/dub/commandline.d
@@ -316,6 +316,7 @@
 class InitCommand : Command {
 	private{
 		string m_buildType = "minimal";
+		PackageFormat m_format = PackageFormat.sdl;
 	}
 	this()
 	{
@@ -336,6 +337,10 @@
 			"vibe.d  - minimal HTTP server based on vibe.d",
 			"deimos  - skeleton for C header bindings",
 		]);
+		args.getopt("f|format", &m_format, [
+			"Sets the format to use for the package description file. Possible values:"
+			"  sdl, json"
+		]);
 	}
 
 	override int execute(Dub dub, string[] free_args, string[] app_args)
@@ -358,7 +363,7 @@
 				logInfo("Deprecated use of init type. Use --type=[vibe.d | deimos | minimal] in future.");
 			}
 		}
-		dub.createEmptyPackage(Path(dir), free_args, m_buildType);
+		dub.createEmptyPackage(Path(dir), free_args, m_buildType, m_format);
 		return 0;
 	}
 }
diff --git a/source/dub/dub.d b/source/dub/dub.d
index f3b5848..3d8286c 100644
--- a/source/dub/dub.d
+++ b/source/dub/dub.d
@@ -641,7 +641,7 @@
 		m_packageManager.removeSearchPath(makeAbsolute(path), system ? LocalPackageType.system : LocalPackageType.user);
 	}
 
-	void createEmptyPackage(Path path, string[] deps, string type)
+	void createEmptyPackage(Path path, string[] deps, string type, PackageFormat format = PackageFormat.sdl)
 	{
 		if (!path.absolute) path = m_rootPath ~ path;
 		path.normalize();
@@ -660,13 +660,13 @@
 			}
 		}
 		if(notFound.length > 1){
-			throw new Exception(format("Couldn't find packages: %-(%s, %).", notFound));
+			throw new Exception(.format("Couldn't find packages: %-(%s, %).", notFound));
 		}
 		else if(notFound.length == 1){
-			throw new Exception(format("Couldn't find package: %-(%s, %).", notFound));
+			throw new Exception(.format("Couldn't find package: %-(%s, %).", notFound));
 		}
 
-		initPackage(path, depVers, type);
+		initPackage(path, depVers, type, format);
 
 		//Act smug to the user.
 		logInfo("Successfully created an empty project in '%s'.", path.toNativeString());
diff --git a/source/dub/init.d b/source/dub/init.d
index 40a5cd7..1e09c0c 100644
--- a/source/dub/init.d
+++ b/source/dub/init.d
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 /**
 	Empty package initialization code.
 
-	Copyright: © 2013 rejectedsoftware e.K.
+	Copyright: © 2013-2015 rejectedsoftware e.K.
 	License: Subject to the terms of the MIT license, as written in the included LICENSE.txt file.
 	Authors: Sönke Ludwig
 */
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
 
 import dub.internal.vibecompat.core.file;
 import dub.internal.vibecompat.core.log;
-import dub.package_ : packageInfoFiles, defaultPackageFilename;
+import dub.package_ : PackageFormat, packageInfoFiles, defaultPackageFilename;
 
 import std.datetime;
 import std.exception;
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
 import std.string;
 
 
-void initPackage(Path root_path, string[string] deps, string type)
+void initPackage(Path root_path, string[string] deps, string type, PackageFormat format)
 {
 	void enforceDoesNotExist(string filename) {
 		enforce(!existsFile(root_path ~ filename), "The target directory already contains a '"~filename~"' file. Aborting.");
@@ -41,16 +41,16 @@
 
 	switch (type) {
 		default: throw new Exception("Unknown package init type: "~type);
-		case "minimal": initMinimalPackage(root_path, deps); break;
-		case "vibe.d": initVibeDPackage(root_path, deps); break;
-		case "deimos": initDeimosPackage(root_path, deps); break;
+		case "minimal": initMinimalPackage(root_path, deps, format); break;
+		case "vibe.d": initVibeDPackage(root_path, deps, format); break;
+		case "deimos": initDeimosPackage(root_path, deps, format); break;
 	}
 	writeGitignore(root_path);
 }
 
-void initMinimalPackage(Path root_path, string[string] deps)
+void initMinimalPackage(Path root_path, string[string] deps, PackageFormat format)
 {
-	writePackageJson(root_path, "A minimal D application.", deps);
+	writePackageDescription(format, root_path, "A minimal D application.", deps);
 	createDirectory(root_path ~ "source");
 	write((root_path ~ "source/app.d").toNativeString(),
 q{import std.stdio;
@@ -62,13 +62,13 @@
 });
 }
 
-void initVibeDPackage(Path root_path, string[string] deps)
+void initVibeDPackage(Path root_path, string[string] deps, PackageFormat format)
 {
 	if("vibe-d" !in deps)
 		deps["vibe-d"] = "~>0.7.19";
 
-	writePackageJson(root_path, "A simple vibe.d server application.",
-	                 deps, ["versions": `["VibeDefaultMain"]`]);
+	writePackageDescription(format, root_path, "A simple vibe.d server application.",
+	                 deps, ["versions": ["VibeDefaultMain"]]);
 	createDirectory(root_path ~ "source");
 	createDirectory(root_path ~ "views");
 	createDirectory(root_path ~ "public");
@@ -92,16 +92,30 @@
 });
 }
 
-void initDeimosPackage(Path root_path, string[string] deps)
+void initDeimosPackage(Path root_path, string[string] deps, PackageFormat format)
 {
 	auto name = root_path.head.toString().toLower();
-	writePackageJson(root_path, "Deimos Bindings for "~name~".",
-	                 deps, ["targetType": `"sourceLibrary"`, "importPaths": `["."]`]);
+	writePackageDescription(format, root_path, "Deimos Bindings for "~name~".",
+		deps, ["importPaths": ["."]], ["targetType": "sourceLibrary"]);
 	createDirectory(root_path ~ "C");
 	createDirectory(root_path ~ "deimos");
 }
 
-void writePackageJson(Path root_path, string description, string[string] dependencies = null, string[string] addFields = null)
+void writePackageDescription(PackageFormat format, Path root_path, string description, string[string] dependencies = null, string[][string] array_fields = null, string[string] string_fields = null)
+{
+	final switch (format) {
+		case PackageFormat.json:
+			foreach (f, v; array_fields) string_fields[f] = .format("[%(%s, %)]", v);
+			writePackageJSON(root_path, description, dependencies, string_fields);
+			break;
+		case PackageFormat.sdl:
+			foreach (f, v; array_fields) string_fields[f] = .format("%(%s %)", v);
+			writePackageSDL(root_path, description, dependencies, string_fields);
+			break;
+	}
+}
+
+private void writePackageJSON(Path root_path, string description, string[string] dependencies = null, string[string] raw_fields = null)
 {
 	import std.algorithm : map;
 
@@ -111,7 +125,7 @@
 	version (Windows) username = environment.get("USERNAME", "Peter Parker");
 	else username = environment.get("USER", "Peter Parker");
 
-	auto fil = openFile(root_path ~ defaultPackageFilename, FileMode.Append);
+	auto fil = openFile(root_path ~ "dub.json", FileMode.Append);
 	scope(exit) fil.close();
 
 	fil.formattedWrite("{\n\t\"name\": \"%s\",\n", root_path.head.toString().toLower());
@@ -121,10 +135,33 @@
 	fil.formattedWrite("\t\"dependencies\": {");
 	fil.formattedWrite("%(\n\t\t%s: %s,%)", dependencies);
 	fil.formattedWrite("\n\t}");
-	fil.formattedWrite("%-(,\n\t\"%s\": %s%)", addFields);
+	fil.formattedWrite("%-(,\n\t\"%s\": %s%)", raw_fields);
 	fil.write("\n}\n");
 }
 
+private void writePackageSDL(Path root_path, string description, string[string] dependencies = null, string[string] raw_fields = null)
+{
+	import std.algorithm : map;
+
+	assert(!root_path.empty);
+
+	string username;
+	version (Windows) username = environment.get("USERNAME", "Peter Parker");
+	else username = environment.get("USER", "Peter Parker");
+
+	auto fil = openFile(root_path ~ "dub.sdl", FileMode.Append);
+	scope(exit) fil.close();
+
+	fil.formattedWrite("name \"%s\"\n", root_path.head.toString().toLower());
+	fil.formattedWrite("description \"%s\"\n", description);
+	fil.formattedWrite("copyright \"Copyright © %s, %s\"\n", Clock.currTime().year, username);
+	fil.formattedWrite("authors \"%s\"\n", username);
+	foreach (d, v; dependencies)
+		fil.formattedWrite("dependency \"%s\" version=\"%s\"\n", d, v);
+	foreach (f, v; raw_fields)
+		fil.formattedWrite("%s %s\n", f, v);
+}
+
 void writeGitignore(Path root_path)
 {
 	write((root_path ~ ".gitignore").toNativeString(),
diff --git a/test/0-init-fail-json.sh b/test/0-init-fail-json.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..1a00eb8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/0-init-fail-json.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+packname="0-init-fail-pack"
+deps="logger PACKAGE_DONT_EXIST" # would be very unlucky if it does exist...
+
+$DUB init $packname $deps -f json
+
+function cleanup {
+    rm -rf $packname
+}
+
+if [ -e $packname/dub.json ]; then # package is there, it should have failed
+    cleanup
+    exit 1
+fi
+exit 0
diff --git a/test/0-init-fail.sh b/test/0-init-fail.sh
index 11fadf4..f8cc21f 100755
--- a/test/0-init-fail.sh
+++ b/test/0-init-fail.sh
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
     rm -rf $packname
 }
 
-if [ -e $packname/dub.json ]; then # package is there, it should have failed
+if [ -e $packname/dub.sdl ]; then # package is there, it should have failed
     cleanup
     exit 1
 fi
diff --git a/test/0-init-multi-json.sh b/test/0-init-multi-json.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..bc16fd8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/0-init-multi-json.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+packname="0-init-multi-pack"
+deps="openssl logger"
+type="vibe.d"
+
+$DUB init $packname $deps --type=$type -f json
+
+function cleanup {
+    rm -rf $packname
+}
+
+if [ ! -e $packname/dub.json ]; then # it failed, exit 1
+    exit 1
+else # check if resulting dub.json has all dependancies in tow
+    deps="$deps vibe-d";
+    IFS=" " read -a arr <<< "$deps"
+    for ele in "${arr[@]}"
+    do
+        if [ `grep -c "$ele" $packname/dub.json` -ne 1 ]; then #something went wrong
+            echo "$ele not in $packname/dub.json"
+            cleanup
+            exit 1
+        fi
+    done
+    cleanup
+    exit 0
+
+fi
diff --git a/test/0-init-multi.sh b/test/0-init-multi.sh
index 54b151e..6f2096f 100755
--- a/test/0-init-multi.sh
+++ b/test/0-init-multi.sh
@@ -10,15 +10,15 @@
     rm -rf $packname
 }
 
-if [ ! -e $packname/dub.json ]; then # it failed, exit 1
+if [ ! -e $packname/dub.sdl ]; then # it failed, exit 1
     exit 1
-else # check if resulting dub.json has all dependancies in tow
+else # check if resulting dub.sdl has all dependancies in tow
     deps="$deps vibe-d";
     IFS=" " read -a arr <<< "$deps"
     for ele in "${arr[@]}"
     do
-        if [ `grep -c "$ele" $packname/dub.json` -ne 1 ]; then #something went wrong
-            echo "$ele not in $packname/dub.json"
+        if [ `grep -c "$ele" $packname/dub.sdl` -ne 1 ]; then #something went wrong
+            echo "$ele not in $packname/dub.sdl"
             cleanup
             exit 1
         fi
diff --git a/test/0-init-simple-json.sh b/test/0-init-simple-json.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..80a07ff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/0-init-simple-json.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+packname="0-init-simple-pack"
+
+$DUB init $packname -f json
+
+function cleanup {
+    rm -rf $packname
+}
+
+if [ ! -e $packname/dub.json ]; then # it failed
+    cleanup
+    exit 1
+fi
+cleanup
+exit 0
diff --git a/test/0-init-simple.sh b/test/0-init-simple.sh
index b5f9227..baeaea0 100755
--- a/test/0-init-simple.sh
+++ b/test/0-init-simple.sh
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
     rm -rf $packname
 }
 
-if [ ! -e $packname/dub.json ]; then # it failed
+if [ ! -e $packname/dub.sdl ]; then # it failed
     cleanup
     exit 1
 fi