Epic Games said it will release its cross-platform play services, including matchmaking, cloud saves, voice chat and game achievements, all built on Fortnite, for free in 2019.<\/b>
\nEpic Games will make it easier for developers to build cross-platform play into their games next year, as the company plans to launch \u201ca large set of cross-platform game services\u201d built for Fortnite and \u201cbattle-tested\u201d by more than 200 million players. That includes services like cross-platform matchmaking, cloud saves, voice chat, and game achievements.
Launching over the course of 2019, these will be \u201cfree for all developers, and will be open to all engines, all platforms, and all stores,\u201d Epic said on the Unreal Engine website. They\u2019ll roll out in waves throughout the year.
It\u2019s a major effort on Epic\u2019s part, and, if broadly adopted, it could further cross-platform play support across a variety of games.
Epic outlined how and when those features will roll out to other developers:
Cross-Platform Login, Friends, Presence, Profile, and Entitlements (coming Q2-Q3 2019 to PC, other platforms throughout 2019): Provides the core functionality for persistently recognizing players across multiple sessions and devices; identifying friends; and managing free and paid item entitlements. This will support all 7 major platforms (PC, Mac, iOS, Android, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch) to the full extent each platform allows per-title.
PC\/Mac Overlay API (coming Q3 2019): Provides a user interface for login, friends, and other features in a game-agnostic, engine-agnostic way.
Cross-Platform Voice Comms (coming Q3 2019 to all platforms): Epic is building a new in-game voice communications service supporting all platforms, all stores, and all engines, which will be available for free . (For developers needing an immediately-available voice solution, check out Discord, Vivox, TeamSpeak, Ventrilo, and Mumble.)
Cross-Platform Parties and Matchmaking (coming Q3-4 2019 to all platforms)
Cross-Platform Data Storage, Cloud-Saved Games (coming Q2 2019)
Cross-Platform Achievements and Trophies (coming Q3 2019)
Epic described the list of cross-platform tools as its \u201cfirst steps.\u201d The company said it\u2019s also working on \u201cfurther support for user-generated content, enhanced social features, anti-cheat, and more.\u201d
In effect, Epic is using Fortnite as yet another breeding ground for industry-wide technological solutions. Last week, the company announced that it was opening its own online game store, where it will sell a curated list of semi-exclusive PC games. Epic promises a more generous revenue cut for developers on its Epic Games Store, a move interpreted as a shot across the bow of Valve\u2019s Steam, the industry-leading online digital marketplace for PC games. Today\u2019s announcement seems similarly positioned against Valve\u2019s Steamworks services, a free suite of tools that provide services like matchmaking, anti-cheat, cloud storage, and in-game economies.<\/p>\n