Microsoft Teases Plans for Xbox Live Support on Nintendo Switch, Official Unveil Set for GDC 2019
Posted on February 04 2019 by Kristen G. Rosario
Cross-platform play, I am proud to say, has been a hot topic of many gaming discussions for the last couple of years. Focusing more on the game than the system, cross-platform has been seen as the next stage of evolution in the ever-growing unity of the gaming community. And it now seems that gaming giant Microsoft is indeed taking that next step.
Thanks to the conference schedule for this year’s Game Developers Conference (GDC), we now know that Microsoft plans to unveil new cross-platform support to multiple systems, including the Nintendo Switch. Here’s what the official GDC 2019 scheduling website says in the description for Microsoft’s panel:
Xbox Live is one of the largest, most engaged gaming communities on the planet with decades of experience providing managed game services to developers that save you time and unlock all of the social and engagement features that players love.
Now Xbox Live is about to get MUCH bigger. 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.
Of course this isn’t the first time Microsoft has been part of Nintendo’s world, as an Xbox Live sign-in is required for Minecraft, no matter which system you’re on. Nintendo and Microsoft have also supported cross-platform play for Fortnite Battle Royale.
GDC 2019 is set to run from March 18th to March 22nd.
What do you think of this news? What does this mean for the future of cross-compatibility? Let us know in the comments below!
Source: Windows Central (via Eurogamer)
Kristen G. Rosario is an Editor who joined Zelda Dungeon back in September of 2015. His current goal is to become a full-time video game journalist, hoping to eventually gain a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism. While he pursues that dream, he not only takes care of his adorable dachshund Angel, but also helps run a YouTube channel with his brother. The Zelda series is a quest he hasn’t fully completed yet, but hopes to get there one day.
