What you need to know
- Today, Epic Games unveiled Unreal Engine 5 for next-generation hardware.
- Epic Online Services also launched.
- Epic Online Services allow developers to implement features like cross-play and cross-progression easily.
- These tools are open to all studios and completely free according to Epic Games.
Hot on the heels of the Unreal Engine 5 announcement, Epic Games continued by announcing that Epic Online Services were now available. Epic Online Services are open to all developers and are completely free. They can quickly and easily launch, operate, and scale their games across engines, stores, and platforms of their choice.
Chris Dyl, the General Manager of Online Services at Epic Games, said the following.
At Epic, we believe in open, integrated platforms and in the future of gaming being a highly social and connected experience. Through Epic Online Services, we strive to help build a user-friendly ecosystem for both developers and players, where creators can benefit regardless of how they choose to build and publish their games, and where players can play games with their friends and enjoy the same quality experience regardless of the hardware they own.
Included at launch are services like cross-play, cross-progression, and other preeminent online features that are part of Fortnite already. Matchmaking is also an important part of the tools.
This should make developing games for many creators easy, especially when it comes to multiplayer experiences. We can't wait to see what studios do on Xbox Series X with this technology. Hopefully, the PlayStation 5 will support cross-play out of the box and won't be blocked for years.
