14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is investing big in gaming, and one of the areas that the company is currently looking into expanding is Xbox Live.
The Game Developer Conference taking place next month could thus bring us some truly exciting news on the Microsoft front, as the software giant is reportedly exploring ways to bring Xbox Live to other platforms.
Basically, if this description of a Microsoft session is anything to be believed, the software giant wants to bring Xbox Live to iPhone, Android, and Nintendo Switch with the help of a cross-platform SDK.
“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,” the session description reads.
Plan first discovered five years ago
So what does this mean for gamers, you could ask. As Microsoft explains, Xbox Live would technically bring communities closer together regardless of the platform they are based on if developers begin investing in this new SDK.
“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,” it says.
The idea isn’t entirely new, as a job ad discovered no less than give years ago hinted at Microsoft efforts to expand Xbox Live to more platforms beyond Windows, including Android and iPhone. At that time, Microsoft was still betting big on Windows Phone, but the company believed that Xbox Live on Android and iOS could still help expand its gaming biz.
“We will create a modern framework that is open-source, lightweight, extensible and scalable across various platforms including Windows Store, Windows Phone, iOS, and Android,” the job ad said.
The Game Developer Conference will take place March 18-22 in San Francisco.