Epic Games will launch cross-platform game services in 2019
In a new development, Epic Games has announced that it will make Fortnite's cross-platform SDK and tools available to all developers for free in 2019. The game's immense success is attributed to its cross-platform abilities of multiplayer gaming irrespective of the platform - mobile, PC, or any other console. The cross platform SDK services will enable developers to build online games that run in sync with all platforms, and leverage from the tools used for Fortnite. Epic has announced a roadmap for all the new features that will be added to the free online service in 2019.
"Throughout 2019, we'll be launching a large set of cross-platform game services originally built for Fortnite and battle-tested with 200,000,000 players across seven platforms. These services will be free for all developers, and will be open to all engines, all platforms, and all stores. As a developer, you're free to choose mix-and-match solutions from Epic and others as you wish," the company says in its blog post.
Epic plans to offer more online services in the future, but it will begin with the C-based SDK next year, and this will include core features at launch, but more will be added throughout 2019. Epic looks to provide cross-platform login, friends, presence, profile, and entitlements features to developers.
This will provides the core functionality for persistently recognizing players across multiple sessions and devices; identifying friends; and managing free and paid item entitlements across seven major platforms -PC, Mac, iOS, Android, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch - to the full extent each platform allows per-title. It will first arrive on the PC sometime in Q2-Q3 2019, and other platforms support will arrive throughout 2019.
Other upcoming key features that will be introduced in 2019 include PC/Mac Overlay API, cross-platform voice comms cross-platform parties and matchmaking, cross-platform data storage, cloud-saved games, and cross-platform achievements and trophies.
Epic notes that these online services will run on top of Amazon Web Services, just like Fortnite. It promises full compliance with Europe's GDPR, and the C-based SDK will launch with Unreal Engine and Unity integration.
This new online service announcement comes a week after the Epic Games Store went live. The new PC games store looks to take the world's biggest PC digital storefront Steam head on, by offering more revenue share to developers. Epic is giving all developers on the Epic Games Store an 88 percent share of the revenue.
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