In the latest chapter of GAFAM’s
continuing bid to conquer online gaming, Microsoft has acquired PlayFab, which
helps game developers launch their titles online more quickly with simplified
back-end services. The startup will be integrated into Microsoft’s Azure gaming
group. The Seattle based startup had raised around $13 Million in funding from
investors.
PlayFab offered game developers a
platform to host and operate online games and the analytics tools to help
understand and monetize users. The startup helped game developers cut down on
the work needed to launch a title widely with infrastructure that could handle
a global player base. While this pitch is one that obviously appeals largely to
indie developers, the startup also boasted much larger customers, including
Disney, NBCUniversal, Rovio and Capcom.
As major tech giants have wised up
to the fact that there’s much more to the gaming market than mobile, there’s
been an increasing amount of attention paid to the backbone technologies
enabling game development and monetization. Microsoft has been more in tune
with this than most as they have focused on the company’s Xbox division and its
latest console hardware and services.
The company has also been active in
more consumer-facing gaming acquisitions like the interactive streaming service Beam just over a year ago and the social virtual reality app AltspaceVR this past fall.
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