Google wants to let Android and iOS gamers play together

[techbeck]

Google Play game services, the backend that powers online features for many Android games, is expanding significantly to iOS. In an announcement timed for the Game Developers Conference this week, Google says it's bringing turn-based and real-time multiplayer capabilities to iOS. Should developers choose to integrate the service with their games, they'll be able to enable gamers with Android and iOS devices to play against each other cross-platform.

 

Play Games already supports iOS through a plug-in for the Unity game engine that supports achievements and leaderboards, and that plug-in will be updated soon adding the multiplayer element. An early version of a separate SDK for non-Unity games is also being released, but at launch it won't support multiplayer gaming. As we exclusively revealed recently, Microsoft is planning to expand Xbox Live to mobile platforms in order to facilitate multiplayer matchmaking, achievements, and friends lists. Xbox Live already powers some games on Microsoft's Windows Phone platform, but the new mobile push will focus on iOS and Android.

 

Google's decision to expand multiplayer capabilities to iOS, coupled with Microsoft's anticipated announcement, could signal a change in the way the big three mobile operating systems approach gaming. Until now each company did its own thing ? iOS has GameCenter, Android has Google Play game services, and Windows Phone has Xbox Live ? while third parties like Facebook power the social and leaderboard aspects of popular games like Candy Crush Saga.

 

It's early days for Google Play game services' cross-platform expansion. Although it's a popular game engine, a Unity plug-in won't cut it for many developers, and its non-Unity efforts are still in the early stages of development. We expect to hear more about Google's new cross-platform gaming this week at GDC. The company says "most" of the features will become available on Tuesday March 18th, and it's holding a developer day at the conference to try and persuade game makers to use its services over other companies'.

 

http://www.theverge.com/2014/3/17/5517508/google-play-game-services-cross-platform-gaming-ios

[Draconian Guppy]

Finally some sense!

Though there are some games IIRC that are cross platform via bluetooth?

[Seahorsepip Veteran]

Finally some sense!

Though there are some games IIRC that are cross platform via bluetooth?

As far as I know any form of multiplayer is trough wifi, bluetooth is kinda slow anyway...

[dead.cell]

Cool. Now if Android simply had the game I want to play with my girlfriend, we'd be in business...

[myxomatosis]

Is it a good idea? Yes

 

Is it a good thing for iOS and Android users? Yes

 

Will Apple allow this to happen? Nope

 

 

Apple's Ego > Users needs. Apple doesn't play with others...

[firey]

Is it a good idea? Yes

 

Is it a good thing for iOS and Android users? Yes

 

Will Apple allow this to happen? Nope

 

 

Apple's Ego > Users needs. Apple doesn't play with others...

 

But if it is built directly into game engines.. then apple would have to block the engine entirely.

[Shadrack]

Finally some sense!

Though there are some games IIRC that are cross platform via bluetooth?

This would be a multiplatform multiplayer API, which would be a nice thing to have.  There are quite a few mobile games that offer cross-platform multiplayer functionality.  Game developers right now would have to develop their own code bases for cross-platform multiplayer, but with something like this it would become much easier to implement.

 

 

Is it a good idea? Yes

 

Is it a good thing for iOS and Android users? Yes

 

Will Apple allow this to happen? Nope

 

 

Apple's Ego > Users needs. Apple doesn't play with others...

 

This comment has no basis in reality.  Apple allows a lot of competing apps and services onto their devices.  If Apple's stance was truly how you say then there would be no Google AdMob in iOS apps: yet here we are, faced with the fact that Apple has allowed such things before with no clear evidence to the contrary.

[myxomatosis]

This would be a multiplatform multiplayer API, which would be a nice thing to have.  There are quite a few mobile games that offer cross-platform multiplayer functionality.  Game developers right now would have to develop their own code bases for cross-platform multiplayer, but with something like this it would become much easier to implement.

 

 

 

This comment has no basis in reality.  Apple allows a lot of competing apps and services onto their devices.  If Apple's stance was truly how you say then there would be no Google AdMob in iOS apps: yet here we are, faced with the fact that Apple has allowed such things before with no clear evidence to the contrary.

 

We'll see ;)

[Elliot B.]

I've been playing cross-platform games by logging into Facebook for years.

[George P Global Moderator]

I've been playing cross-platform games by logging into Facebook for years.

 

This is true, FB can be used to do this today.  There's also one or two XBL games on iOS at the moment.  Heck, I expect MS to talk about expanding XBL to iOS and Android for developers at GDC as well as all the DX12 news.