How Microsoft is Empowering Game Creators in Everything We Do

Our mission at Microsoft is to share the joy of gaming with everyone. Our ultimate goal is to enable everyone to have the freedom to play any game they choose, whenever and wherever they desire. Most people are familiar with our Xbox gaming business, but not all know much about the technologies and offerings in game development. In fact, game development is in Microsoft’s DNA, with over 40 years of experience building games for Windows and console, our open ecosystem reaches virtually every endpoint between console, PC, mobile, and the cloud.

It is clear to us that we need developers empowered not only for creating great games for our platform, but all platforms. Our goal is to support all game developers, in an effort enriching the whole game-development community. Game development has always been on the cutting edge of technology, whether it’s pushing the boundary of graphics, creating massively multiplayer experiences, or combining the real-world with the digital – gaming is largely seen a vanguard for other industries.

This week, at the annual Game Developers Conference, we shared more of our vision for the future of game development, delivering 27 technical talks addressing topics spanning across Graphics, Performance optimization, Cloud development/production, Accessibility, and more. There’s also a fireside chat between CEO of Xbox Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond, Head of Xbox Creator Experience that is a must-watch for anyone interested in game development. Visit aka.ms/GDC to see the updated Microsoft game development site. Major Nelson, our own podcast host, interviewed Sarah Bond on the Official Xbox Podcast. (An audio version of the interview is available above).

Last but certainly not least, we also shared demonstrations of nine different solution areas using Microsoft technologies that support game creators at each stage of their game’s lifecycle – whether that’s building, running, or growing their game. Let’s take a closer look at those demos to see what we can offer game creators.

Forza Horizon 5 (Azure PlayFab Data Platform)

Turn 10 and Playground Games have a deep commitment to Forza Horizon 5’s fans. Playground Games, Turn 10, and Turn 10 used Azure PlayFab Data to optimize player performance by running integrated, self-service custom analysis.

As Satya Bobba, Senior Software Engineer at Turn 10 put it: “We love how PlayFab fully manages our data ingestion into Azure Data Lake so our engineers can focus on making the game better for our players rather than managing the pipeline.”

With the Azure PlayFab data platform, teams could take advantage of immediate actions and optimize performance. They also had the ability to control the events that were to be analyzed and opened new opportunities for integration with existing analytical solutions.

Halo Infinite (Simplygon)

While developing Halo Infinite, the developers at 343i knew that they needed to optimize and render the game’s vast world quickly, smoothly, and efficiently. Simplygon was utilized by 343i in order to optimize and render the vast environments. Halo InfiniteTo ensure that the game renders the entire world accurately and runs smoothly on all platforms,

“It’s hard to imagine how we could have built this game without Simplygon,” said Kurt Diegert, Environment Technical Art Lead at 343i. “Simplygon allowed us to focus our time and energy on building quality assets and gave us the tools we needed to reduce and optimize our content for our target platforms.”

Simplygon enabled the team to produce more content efficiently by seamlessly integrating with existing content production processes. It also allowed them to work quickly and iteratively, allowing for faster content creation and lower costs. Finally, Simplygon let the developers at 343i scale Halo Infinite’s performance requirements and hit its performance goals on different target systems.

Microsoft Flight Simulator (Azure PlayFab UGC)

Through active incubation of its creator community throughout the years Microsoft Flight Simulator has made its mark by offering fans one of the world’s most engaged and vibrant marketplaces of user-generated content. The new version of the app is now available. Microsoft Flight SimulatorLast year, Asobo’s team and Xbox Game Studios Publishing worked together to increase creator revenues by integrating Azure PlayFab UGC and increasing the number of assets that creators could work with.

“PlayFab supports our goals of offering a flexible, open and vibrant marketplace for creators that allows them to reach the entire Flight Simulator audience,” said Jorg Neumann, Head of Partner Production at Xbox Game Studios.

Azure Playfab UGC gave the teams an affordable solution that could be used to create a top-of-the-line creator marketplace. It also saved time, money, as well as resources. A simplified content management system enabled them to manage and store content, while a content search made it easy for players to quickly locate interesting content they could use in-game.

Psychonauts 2. (Visual Studio 2022)

Double Fine is known for being innovative, creative, and story-telling focused. The studio’s development team honed that focus more than ever while creating Psychonauts 2.A strategy that has won more than 60 industry accolades. Visual Studio was a key component of the team’s success. This allowed them to quickly iterate and move around using Visual Studio. It also helped cut down on the amount time it took to build the next iteration.

“As Tech Director, I switch between many of our game projects throughout the day to compile and review the latest code,” said Chad Dawson, Technical Director at Double Fine. “The improved project load times and faster link times in Visual Studio 2022 are exciting and will be a welcome improvement to my workflow.”

Double Fine saw many benefits to adopting Visual Studio, such as faster builds, more stable debugging, less frequent debugging crashes, and an improved editing experience.

NBA Clash (Azure PlayFab Live Ops Services)

It can be difficult to launch a game, particularly when you have to use data to help make informed decisions on how your game should grow. Nifty games’ mobile developers, NBA Clash, knew they had to launch a Starter Pack. Azure PlayFab Live Ops Services was used to assist them in setting up and managing experiments that would test the content against specific player segments.

“PlayFab has made a big difference for us – it has driven measurable efficiencies around our experiment management and analysis,” said Jonathan Bach, Head of Central Product at Nifty Games. “PlayFab continues to improve, and we look forward to continued collaboration.”

Nifty Games was able to use Azure PlayFab Live Ops Services to confidently make data-driven decisions. They were able to run A/B testing and test variable gameplay experiences. Additionally, they could deploy player-targeted experimentation simultaneously to maximize the launch of new game flow.

No Man’s Sky (Azure PlayFab Multiplayer Services)

From the beginning of the game’s development, Hello Games set out to create an epic adventure in No Man’s Sky. They also strongly believed that the experience would be enriched by having all players – regardless of platform – enjoy the game together. Azure PlayFab Multiplayer Services enabled the team to play together on Xbox, PlayStation, or PC. What’s more, the team’s insights into creating cross-platform games were highly valuable in shaping Azure PlayFab Matchmaking to include real-time notifications and a Lobby feature to group players across their user base.

Iain Brown, Server/Multiplayer Lead at Hello Games, summed it up best: “PlayFab allowed us to realise our vision of a single shared universe for all our players to explore together.”

Developers can connect players from different platforms through matchmaking. This allows them to build and find new communities as well as searchable lobbies that allow for the kind of multiplayer experience gamers are used to. Azure PlayFab Multiplayer Services offers all this and more.

DOOM Eternal (Azure PlayFab Multiplayer Servers)

During the game’s development, id Software was laser-focused on making DOOM Eternal a unique experience for gamers all over the world. Azure PlayFab Multiplayer Server was a time-saving tool that allowed the team to focus their efforts on creating a world-class shooter.

“The way Azure PlayFab delivers online features and functionality aligned with our ideas for next-generation game technology,” said Travis Bradshaw, Principal Program Manager at Microsoft and the former Lead Services Programmer at id Software. “That synergy gave us confidence.”

id Software utilized Azure PlayFab Multiplayer Servers’ automated latency monitoring and QoS monitoring features to ensure that players are matched with the most reliable servers in the world. Azure offers a variety of server locations, which means players get matched quickly to the regions they prefer.

Rogue Company (Game Production in Azure in the Cloud)

Everything has changed in the game development industry over the past few years. Hybrid work models, which have been the norm in game development for years, forced teams such as Hi-Rez Studios into pivoting. The developers at Hi-Rez moved quickly to shift development of Rogue Company’s post-launch updates to the cloud. The cloud enabled the team to use Perforce and Incredibuild for game production. This allowed them to operate remotely and keep a fast, tight iteration cycle.

“The speed and efficiency we gain by having the ability to spin up hardware through automation is a game-changer,” said Matt Smith, Lead Tools Engineer at Hi-Rez Studios.

Azure provides greater flexibility than ever. Teams can control when and which pieces of the production pipeline migrate to the cloud, all based on a studio’s individual needs. An entire development team has the ability to move one process or retool an entire pipeline. Low latency VMs on Azure’s global network allow teams to work anywhere, with the same build speed they would get in the office.

The Yakuza is like a Dragon (Touch Controls to Xbox Cloud Gaming).

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio embraced Xbox Cloud Gaming in an attempt to increase the popularity of Yakuza: Like a Dragon. With the Xbox Cloud Gaming APIs, and the Touch Adaptation Kit, they were able bring full HD versions of their game to mobile devices and tablets. They also implemented scenario-based touch control layouts which dynamically change on screen based upon what the player does in-game. All new users can now enjoy this award-winning title.

“We used the Xbox Cloud Gaming Touch Adaptation Kit to easily place buttons and icons proactively in a way that was intuitive, making actions in each scenario easy to understand,” said a representative of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio.

Xbox Cloud Gaming APIs, and the Touch Adaptation Kit guarantee that gamers have the best gaming experience possible. They provide context sensitive touch layouts which feel mobile-native. Most importantly, they also allow developers to create an immersive experience with custom controls that match the game’s art style.