Microsoft is helping developers make cloud-connected games
Microsoft has acquired PlayFab, a game development startup that offloads the burdens associated with cloud-connected gaming for developers, allowing them to focus squarely on creating games. The terms of the deal haven't been disclosed, but Microsoft will integrate PlayFab's tools into its Azure cloud service, presumably in a bid to take on Amazon Web Services, which launched a similar set of tools two years ago. Kareem Choudhry, vice president of gaming at Microsoft, noted in a blog post that more than 1 billion people are gaming, and as such the industry is moving into the cloud , largely because it improves security and gives gamers easier access to the multibillion-dollar gaming market. But this brings additional challenges for developers, who are then expected to provide extra game content -- such as tournaments and analytics -- long after a game has launched. "The cost and complexity of achieving this through custom-built, server-side tools and technologies is h...