The annual Game Developers Conference, GDC, is taking place mid-March, and a talk scheduled by Microsoft has revealed something incredibly interesting. Microsoft is set to announce an SDK for developers that will allow them to connect Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox players and allow for cross-platform gaming. Microsoft already has Xbox Live logins required for Minecraft on Android, along with a few other choice titles on PC. This SDK (or XDK as Microsoft is calling it) will allow game developers to have Xbox Live achievements be built into games regardless of their platform, along with achievements and multiplayer.
The talk, scheduled on GDC’s website, reveals a lot of information about the company’s plans.
Xbox Live is one of the largest, most engaged gaming communities on the planet with decades of experience providing managed game services to developers that save you time and unlock all of the social and engagement features that players love.
Now Xbox Live is about to get MUCH bigger. Xbox Live is expanding from 400M gaming devices and a reach to over 68M active players to over 2B devices with the release of our new cross-platform XDK.
Get a first look at the SDK to enable game developers to connect players between iOS, Android, and Switch in addition to Xbox and any game in the Microsoft Store on Windows PCs.
Cross-platform play is nothing new, and developers have always been hesitant to try it. Fortnite and Minecraft were among the first games to really break down that barrier, allowing those on different consoles to play with each other. The company also intends on making use of their PlayFab backend for live games. While PlayStation consoles won’t be involved in the development of the XDK, cross-platform support for mobile devices, Switch and PC is a huge step in the right direction. The mobile gaming market is growing with more serious titles on the horizon. Call of Duty: Legends of War is one such game, with PUBG Mobile making waves in the market as well since its release. There’s no mention of Project xCloud, but it could well be the case that we see it integrated somehow as well.
Source: GDC Via: WindowsCentral
Refference - xdadevelopers.com
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