Microsoft launched the program [email protected] To help small studios move their games to the cloud.

In 2014, with the launch of the Xbox One, the software that ran on the Xbox 360, Xbox Live Arcade, which had an amazing impact on independent development, all but disappeared, as did support for the platform from smaller studios. This is how the next was born [email protected]an initiative aimed at making it easier for independent studios to develop on Xbox consoles, a more convenient approach than ever before.

The innovative power of these developers must continue to grow, but it is understood that their limited budgets sometimes prevent them from innovating as they please. That’s why Microsoft announced today at GDC 2022 [email protected]It is now available to all studios. It is basically a powerful tool that allows developing games on console, PC, virtual reality or mobile devices, since it is not tied to any platform by Azure.

[email protected] It will allow for incredible reductions in associated costs.

Thus, the use of this technology, which allows development directly in the cloud, reduces hardware costs, both in terms of time and in terms of the various tests that have to be performed. Many Xbox games, and even some others, use Azure for their servers, such as Halo Infinite, Forza Horizon 5, Minecraft, Doom Eternal, Fall Guys and many more. This is exactly why Microsoft wants to bring this technology to small studios. Nick Ferguson, Director [email protected] I talked about this topic:

The desired goal is [email protected] It is empowering independent developers. We want them to have the same services and capabilities as the big teams behind today’s most popular games, many of which use Azure to reach millions of players.

All this will be done through a virtual machine, thanks to which developers will be able to run their server in a matter of minutes, pre-installing all kinds of applications and services, so that they do not have to worry, for example, that each member of the studio has a license for every program they use, but instead of That’s to unify everything on one platform which will save them valuable time exchanging information, in a world where studio members may well work in different places on the planet.