Microsoft looks set to bring Xbox Live to both Android and iOS, with the release of a new software development kit in the works. While not yet officially announced, Microsoft will apparently take the wraps off of the new SDK next month. Nintendo Switch developers will also be able to take advantage of it, which could make for an interesting dynamic on Nintendo’s console.
This move would make Microsoft the first console maker to bring its own multiplayer experience to other platforms, and considering Xbox Live is generally accepted to be the best online gaming experience in the market, this is something that can only be good news for Android, iOS, and Switch gamers.
While Microsoft Game Studios does already offer some games on both iOS and Android that tie into Xbox Live achievements in some way, the feature and functionality has yet to be made available to third-party developers to use. That’s apparently going to change in due course, and we know that we can’t wait to see what this means for mobile gaming. Its potential impact on the Nintendo Switch world shouldn’t be overlooked either, especially given Nintendo’s history of fumbling the ball when it comes to online services.
The “Xbox Live is expanding from 400 million gaming devices and a reach to over 68 million active players to over 2 billion devices with the release of our new cross-platform XDK,” reads a listing for an upcoming GDC session, spotted by Windows Central.
According to reports, the new SDK would allow developers to tie into a user’s Xbox Live friends list, with achievements also working across platforms. As you might expect, cross-platform play is also on the horizon.
The reveal comes from an entry on the GDC + VRDC Session Scheduler web page.
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.
All of this is expected to be announced at the Game Developers Conference, which gets underway on March 18th.
(Via: Windows Central)
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