Building Cross-Device Xbox LIVE Games John Bruno Xbox LIVE Services Avi Ben-Menahem Xbox LIVE on Windows

Why should we care about cross-device games?  Proliferation of devices and form factors.  Our users expect to find the games they play on the devices they own.  Now it’s time to explore new ways to bring them together. Create seamless entertainment experiences by connecting multiple screens that are available at any time and from anywhere.

Cross-Device Gaming Scenarios  Play, Pause, and Resume  Player vs. Player (Multiplayer)  Companion Games

Play, Pause, and Resume  Keep users engaged on any device.  Carry game progress across screens.

Multiplayer  We should expect our users to be on different devices with different capabilities.  Designs are screen-appropriate for multiplayer experiences.

Companion Games  Are applications with discernible gameplay that extends & interacts with the experience of a base/full game.  Keep users engaged with the games they love, on any device.  Have shared progress across all games of a suite.

Cross-Device Gameplay demo

Xbox LIVE Cross-Device Gaming Enablers  Title groups  Title-managed storage  Near real-time, cross-screen multiplayer & matchmaking  Leaderboards  Achievements

Title Groups  Enables sharing across titles and screens  Title groups are a first-class construct  Title group IDs are integral parts of the API  Owned by a publisher, not a title  Title groups = shared cloud storage  Many titles can access the same title group storage.  Access control list (ACL) for granting permissions to titles.

Kinectimals for Windows Phone is released and gets read/write access to the Kinectimals title group storage so that cubs can be shared between devices. A few years later Kinectimals 2 comes out and uses title group storage for its saved games. Kinectimals 2 also gets read-only access to the Kinectimals title group storage in order to import saved games. Title Groups Example Read/Write Read-only Title group 123 Title group 456 Kinectimals launches and uses title group storage for its saved games.

Title Managed Storage (TMS)  Data sharing across titles and devices  Game configuration management  Key Attributes  Global data & user data  Smart blobs: binary, JSON, game configuration  Cross-screen-enabled evolution of existing TMS for Xbox 360.

TMS-Supported Data Types  Binary blobs  Classic saved game infrastructure.  Also good for images and videos.  Binary blobs cannot be shared between verified and unverified platforms.  Smart blobs  Same read/write API as binary blobs.  Supported blob types: JSON and game configuration.  Data can be shared between verified and unverified platforms.  Title group ACLs restrict read/write at any level in the tree.  Validation helps protect verified platforms.

TMS Example  Global data APIs  GET, PUT, DELETE data: /media/titlegroups/titleGroupId/storage/data  User data APIs  GET, PUT, DELETE data: /users/xuid(xuid)/storage/titlestorage/titlegroups/t itleGroupId/data/...  Multi-User GET: (POST) /users/batch/storage/titlestorage/titlegroups/titleG roupId/data/...  The “...” is a blob name or directory of blobs Title storage boundary Global title storage 5 GB quota, 5000 file maximum, no max file size User A’s storage 1 GB quota, 5000 file maximum, no max file size User B’s storage User C’s storage

Multiplayer & Matchmaking  Enabling users to play – even when they aren’t online together!  Complete service-based solution for enabling game play across screens.  Near real-time game play, gracefully degrading to asynchronous.  Numerous possibilities for fun, engaging titles.

Match, Play, Communicate…  Matchmaking  Find people to play with  Match against custom criteria  Title groups enable cross-screen match  Multiplayer session management  Create or join a session  Update and retrieve game state instantly  Messaging  Send game invites, turns, or other messages

Matchmaking Example  Submit a match request  POST /users/xuid({xuid})/multiplayer/matchrequests  Check status of a match request  GET /users/xuid({xuid})/multiplayer/matchrequests/{requestid} POST Match criteria Match found! GET Matchmaking service

Leaderboards  Support for discrete leaderboards per screen  Independent leaderboards per title – linked by title group.  Accessible across devices – read only.  Show progression on each supported screen.  Shared leaderboards across multiple devices  Single leaderboard for the group of titles.  Shared progress across screens.

Achievements  Achievements remain discrete to each title.  Query progression across titles by using title group.  Use achievements to promote cross-device gameplay.

Cross-Device Best Practices  Design for screen-optimal cross-screen experiences.  Consider your data sharing strategies.  For multiplayer games, match against a broader pool of players.  Use achievements to drive cross-title purchase and gameplay.

Key Policies & TCRs  The spirit of our policies & TCRs…  Recent changes to policies and TCRs  New TCRs for TMS++ & title groups  Policies & TCRs available at

Summary & Recap  Entertainment experiences are evolving across devices.  Xbox LIVE services enable engaging cross-screen experiences.  Incorporate best practices into game design and mechanics.  Start today!

Becoming an Xbox LIVE Publisher Concept Submission Concept Review Production Review Investigation  Windows  Windows   Xbox 360 & 

Call to Action Build experiences to connect users across devices. Get docs, tools, and samples at Reach more users across multiple platforms.

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