Microsoft is preparing to bring Xbox Live functionality to a wide variety of devices including the Nintendo Switch, according to the description of a presentation that will be given by the company during this year’s Game Developer’s Conference.

“Xbox Live is one of the largest, most engaged gaming communities on the planet with decades of experience providing managed game services to developers that save you time and unlock all of the social and engagement features that players love.
Now Xbox Live is about to get MUCH bigger. Xbox Live is expanding from 400M gaming devices and a reach to over 68M active players to over 2B[illion] devices with the release of our new cross-platform XDK. 
Get a first look at the SDK to enable game developers to connect players between iOS, Android, and Switch in addition to Xbox and any game in the Microsoft Store on Windows PCs.”

We believe that the groundwork is being laid for additional Xbox content coming to Nintendo Switch

The SDK (software development kit) referenced as the focus of the presentation will be an essential tool for developers as Microsoft prepares to bring game streaming to platforms other than PC’s and Xbox’s as part of Project xCloud, which was announced last year.

As NerdBacon has documented since May of 2018, Microsoft is undergoing a metamorphosis regarding the very concept of the Xbox – transitioning our perceptions away from from the idea of Xbox as a specific device that sits under the living room television, to a service; one that is accessible on any device at any location.

Currently, gamers enjoying the Nintendo Switch version of Minecraft can sign in to their Xbox Live accounts and unlock achievements specific to that service, even while gaming on Nintendo’s platform; however, Minecraft is the only title on the Nintendo Switch that can take advantage of that functionality. Minecraft is also somewhat of an anomaly, as the title was already on a wide array of devices prior to Microsoft’s purchase of developer Mojang in 2014. The introduction of a brand new SDK specifically designed to integrate Xbox Live functionality to platforms including the Nintendo Switch is the strongest indication yet that Microsoft intends to bring content over to Nintendo’s hybrid machine.

This author wrote in my 2019 predictions article, Musings from the Crystal Ball: Streaming Edition that Microsoft was planning to introduce their Game Pass subscription service to the Nintendo Switch platform as early as this year, and that there was a strong possibility that the company would publish a few of their exclusives to the Nintendo Switch, starting with Ori and the Will of the Wisps.

We expect that Microsoft’s new Xbox Live SDK is simply the beginning of what will be a fascinating year as the gaming industry prepares its transition to the next generation.

The Game Developer’s Conference will take place March 18-22nd.

Written by The Watchman

The Watchman is a journeyman gamer who has seen and played a good chunk of gaming history.
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