Microsoft wants to expand their Xbox Live service to every platform they possibly can. That shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise to most gamers. Microsoft has revealed a new cross-platform development platform that will allow devs to bring Xbox Live support to their games, even on Android and iOS devices as well as the and Nintendo Switch.
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If you play Minecraft, then you will probably know how this works already. Minecraft and a few other Microsoft-owned titles already require an Xbox Live sign-in when you play on Android, iOS or even the Nintendo Switch. With this newly-announced initiative, game developers will get access to the dev platform that allows them to add Xbox Live support to their titles.
The idea behind this, according to Microsoft, is to “break down barriers for developers that want their communities to mingle more freely”. Xbox Live support will allow developers and gamers to take advantage of all the social services of the feature, such as a cross-platform friends list, achievements, clubs and more.
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.
This will no doubt expand the Xbox Live service immensely and bring in millions upon millions of new users. However, would you really be fine with having to sign up and log into a service you didn’t want or need when a developer decides to add it to their mobile or Nintendo Switch game?
Microsoft isn’t forcing the issue, obviously, and they are just giving developers the choice to add Xbox Live to their games. In the GDC announcement, Microsoft revealed some more information with broad takeaways and who the intended audience is.
Takeaway
- Xbox Live players are highly engaged and active on Xbox and PC, but now they can take their gaming achievement history, their friends list, their clubs, and more with them to almost every screen.
- This will break down barriers for developers that want their communities to mingle more freely across platforms. Combined with PlayFab gaming services, this means less work for game developers and more time to focus on making games fun.
Intended Audience
- Game services engineers looking to save time & expand their customer base by letting Microsoft managed game services handle social, communication, and multiplayer interactions across billions of screens.
- Game producers looking to plan a multi-platform strategy that brings the most active, engaged players into a community where they can watch, buy, play, pause, and continue their games from one device to the next on top of the most reliable social and multiplayer network in the world.
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What do you think about Microsoft’s plans to bring Xbox Live to Android, iOS and even the Nintendo Switch? Is the service something you would like to make use of on those platforms? Let us know in the comment section below.
