Microsoft already has various ways of linking the Xbox consoles with other platforms. Users can access and manage their XBLA accounts online, and can use the Smartglass phone/tablet app as a second screen or a remote control. A new report by The Verge indicates that Microsoft is planning even more Xbox mobile integration, as the Xbox Live service itself may be coming to Android and iOS devices.
As some may remember, Microsoft left a bad taste in the mouths of self-publishing developers last year; shortly after E3 2013, it was revealed that Indie developers would need to partner with Microsoft or a 3rd-party publisher in order to release games on Live. That rule has long since been changed, but the relationship between Indie studios and Microsoft is still on thin ice. As a way to try and win back developers, the tech-giant is currently working on a new “framework” that will allow Xbox Live integration across Windows Phone, Windows Store, Android and iOS. The plan is to create an integrated platform that is “open-source, lightweight, extensible and scalable across various platforms”.
With the new Xbox Live integration, smartphone and tablet games would be capable of including Achievements, and have the potential for cross-platform gaming. A social perk of the service would be the ability to search for Friends not just through Xbox Live, but through the chosen platform itself. (i.e. Gamers on Windows Phone could search for more Friends who use the same device.)
This wouldn’t be the first time Microsoft has brought Xbox Live services into the mobile market, as Wordament for iOS and Android features XBL Achievements. As Android and iOS already have their own gaming services (Google Play Games and Games Center), Microsoft will promote Live as an additional, alternative service for mobile gamers to use.
With the popularity of mobile games on the rise, is this a smart move for Microsoft? Better yet, for those who have Xbox consoles, would Live integration in your mobile devices convince you to try mobile gaming? Leave a comment below, and tell us what you think!