What you need to know
- New developments arise at Games Developer Summit 2023.
- Google introduces new ways to make cross-platform game development easier.
- The aim is to simplify and make the onboarding process smoother.
- New games like Ludo King and Garena Free Fire join the list.
Games Developer Summit 2023, held this week, is where Google has announced new means to make its cross-platform game development more accessible. And simultaneously improve developers' onboarding process for Google Play Games on PC.
Firstly, for the uninformed, Google Play Games on PC is an initiative from the search giant to allow consumers to enjoy their Android phone games on PC while enabling game developers to design and improve their mobile games accordingly. Last year, it launched as an open beta and expanded to specific regions in the previous quarter.
The latest announcement includes more regions' expansion of Google Play Games on PC in countries including Japan and European countries. Google says the scaling will take place in the next couple of months and totals up to 13 countries where users and game developers can utilize the initiative.
Several games like Garena Free Fire, Ludo King, and MapleStory M are also being added to the Google Play Games on PC. To enhance the experience further, Google has partnered with Intel to streamline the joining process on Google Play Games.
For instance, if game developers have their mobile games well-suited for desktops, they can submit the existing mobile build of the game and express their interest in joining Google Play Games.
The search giant also brings an emulator for developers that will help them check for bugs, debug, and improve their build process. It further allows them "to deploy games directly such as sideloading APKs via adb command or using Android Studio to adjust some graphics and hardware settings to validate different player configurations."
Now there is also a quick approval process for games where players can run through a new release checklist to verify whether all the necessary requirements are met for their builds. The checklist involves high-resolution textures and assets, Windows aspect ratios, and incorporating inputs like mice and keyboards.
Furthermore, Google will bring Next Generation Player IDs, enabling users to maintain their Player IDs distinctive across multiple games while maintaining their Player ID's consistency among surfaces for any specific game.
Lastly, to ensure great playability across multiple screens and platforms like desktops, tablets, Chromebooks, and foldables, Google is organizing a session explaining why developers need not customize their game for each individual screen that the game gets played on.
