An Introduction to Microsoft Game Stack
Microsoft Game Stack is a suite of Microsoft products and services that can help you address your game development needs. Whether you want to enrich player experiences by adjusting how the game works for them, or you’re seeking technology that helps you and your team to operate the game, you’ll find the right solution for your needs within Microsoft Game Stack.
Audio
Great audio complements great visuals to provide immersive game experiences. Use cloud technologies to provide a rich audio experiences for your players, and enable capabilities that make your game more accessible to players of all abilities.
- Allow players to communicate with voice in-game with Xbox Live Game Chat
- Synthesise written content into speech with Azure Text to Speech and Xbox Live Game Chat
- Transcribe audible content into text with Xbox Live Game Chat
- Improve game immersion using Project Acoustics to intelligently model game audio
Data, Machine Learning and AI
Collect, store, and easily retrieve data that brings your gameplay to life. Gain insights about the health of your game so that you can successfully run your business, and leverage artificial intelligence capabilities to provide customer support at scale as your players grow.
- Create, track, and use data that reflects a player’s in-game activity with PlayFab Player Statistics
- Create and manage in-game items and money with PlayFab Currencies
- Create and manage players segments based on in-game actions and data with PlayFab Player Segments
- Query and analyse data generated by your game to gain insights about player behaviours and game performance with Azure Non-Real Time Dashboard and PlayFab Metrics
- Detect potentially offensive, risky, or otherwise undesirable content in text, videos, or images with Azure Content Moderation
- Provide players with AI-driven customer support with Azure Customer Service Bot
Monetisation
Build an in-game economy with virtual currency to add depth to player actions within your game. Increase interaction between players by empowering them to share the spoils of their many in-game adventures.
- Enable players to purchase in-game items with PlayFab Stores and Sales
- Define items that can be purchased or earned with PlayFab Catalogs
- Manage player items with PlayFab Player Inventory
- Create and manage in-game items and money with PlayFab Currencies
- Allow the exchange and/or sale of items between players with PlayFab Trading
Multiplayer
Allow your players to quickly connect and play with other gamers to extend the life and usage of your game beyond typical solo play. Develop a sustainable community of dedicated fans and boost the level of player interaction.
- Add competition to your game with Azure Leaderboard and PlayFab Tournaments and Leaderboards
- Host your game in the cloud so that you can handle traffic spikes, with Azure Multiplayer Backend and PlayFab Multiplayer Servers
- Group players of similar skill levels with Azure Matchmaker and PlayFab Matchmaking
- Create both real-time and turn-based gameplay with Azure Synchronous Multiplayer and Azure Asynchronous Multiplayer
Security
Allow your players to create a unique in-game identity to build up their account and experiences, as well as restrict player access to your game, temporarily or permanently, to help protect your users from fraud and cheating.
- Enable players to create profiles and identities with PlayFab Player Login and Xbox Live Authentication
- Temporarily or permanently restrict players from your game with PlayFab Play Ban System
Systems & Tools
Get access to tools and capabilities that help you to run your game more effectively. This includes the automation of tasks, engagement of your players outside of your game, and more.
- Define outcomes for player actions in-game with Azure Functions and PlayFab Actions & Rules
- Test two game states with varying rules and events with PlayFab Creating A/B Tests
- Send players messages on your game with Azure Notification Hubs and PlayFab Push Notifications
- Keep players in the loop about current and upcoming in-game events with PlayFab News
- Automate parts of game upkeep with PlayFab Automation
