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A Complete Guide to Cross-Platform Game Development

Game Development
Jul 18, 2024
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A Complete Guide to Cross-Platform Game Development

Today’s era is of high-quality games. With the continuous evolution and development of technologies, there is a high inclination towards developing cross-platform games to cover the high demand. Most of the players play cross-platform games and a majority of them want to play similar games.

The important reasons behind the trend of such games are the increasing variety of gaming hardware and the player’s accessibility to the games through different devices like consoles, PCs, mobile phones, and tablets. Building a cross-platform game has been a success for entrepreneurs as they are catering to the different needs of the player community. These games enable the players to play the game on different devices and get the same gameplay experience.

According to a report from Precedence Research, the global mobile gaming market size is expected to touch $775.69 billion by 2032 and is growing at a CAGR of 15.5% annually during the forecast from 2023-2032. When opting for cross-platform game development, entrepreneurs can target a wide range of players and generate high revenue and profits.

So let’s dive in to learn about various aspects of creating a cross-platform game so that you can make informed decisions.

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What is Cross-Platform Game Development?

Cross-platform game development is a term used to describe the process of creating such games that can be played across more than one platform on different operating systems or devices (smartphones, gaming consoles, tablets, PCs, laptops, and more). The cross-platform compatibility provides the same gameplay experience irrespective of the type of device.

Developing cross-platform games has become the talk of the town due to its compatibility with various OS and devices to reach a widespread audience that also aims to enhance the potential of the game.

Why Choose Cross-Platform Development?

Selecting a cross-platform development is a smart move for game developers. Develop your game once and watch it flawlessly run on iOS, Android, and other user platforms.

With cross-platform game development technologies, you can reach a wider audience base. This means you can develop cross-platform games that offer a reliable and enjoyable experience for all players. Additionally, maintaining a single codebase simplifies updates and enhancements.

Explore the exciting world of cross-platform mobile game development and unlock the potential of a wider audience. It’s an efficient way to bring your gaming vision to life and keep your game players engaged.

What are the Different Cross-Platform Games?

As we have learned above what cross-platform games are all about, let’s now know about various games that can work on several devices.

Different Cross-platform Games

1. Destiny 2

It is one of the best cross-platform games which is widely popular among the gaming community. Released way back in 2017, the game is still played in large numbers. Initially launched for a single platform, the cross-platform was not the feature that made this game popular.

2. Fall Guys

This community game features a battle royale mode where the players must control a bean as they have to maneuver oncoming obstacles and be the last player in a group of 60 beans. Just play the game with any player online irrespective of platforms and compete against them to show that you are better than others.

3. Among Us

A popular multiplayer game featuring new maps on a timely basis to immerse the players every time. With cross-platform compatibility over different platforms, the VR version of Among Us also supports players from Steam, Meta Quest, and other VR devices to play the game together.

4. Fortnite

Fortnite was the trendsetter when it was released in 2017. The battle royale mode of this game took over the gaming community in the late games featured in the late 2010s, the time when the platform owners were against the idea of cross-platform. Whether you are playing the game on the PS4 and your friend is playing it on PC, just add the Epic Games ID and team up.

5. Apex Legends

Apex Legends is a cross-platform game available for various platforms supporting cross-progression over Steam and Origin accounts. Cross-progression means if a player is playing the Apex Legends on Nintendo Switch, their game progress will carry over the Xbox One.

Related: Similar Cross-platform Games Like Fortnite

Benefits of Cross-Platform Game Development

These games are designed to work on various devices to give a similar gaming experience making it a more adaptable and accessible option for gamers. Let’s know what cross-platform game app development brings to the players and gaming business owners:

Benefits of cross-platform game development

1. Cost-Effective Solution

Creating cross-platform games makes it easier for the developers as they can efficiently allocate resources. Also, you don’t need to hire more teams to make games for different operating systems. This way you can save more on cost and other aspects.

2. Broad Market Reach

We don’t know exactly what number of players use which type of devices to play games. We know many players prefer playing games on smartphones, but still, there is a big section who play on PCs, consoles, etc. Cross-platform game applications cover a wide user base which is beneficial for your business.

3. Less Development Cost

One of the major advantages of cross-platform game development is its lower building cost and time. As creating a native game application requires separate apps for different platforms, it is also time-consuming and costly. Cross-platform, on the other hand, requires one-time code that can be deployed on multiple platforms, thus, eliminating the need for multiple applications. This approach will cost much less and will take less time to build.

4. Enhanced Accessibility

As said, cross-platform games run efficiently on different platforms, the players can play the match with their friends without any device barrier. Let’s understand this by an example, two players are there. Player A is playing the game using a smartphone, and Player B is playing the game using a PC. The devices are different, but they will have the same gameplay experience. By creating such a game, you can eliminate the gap of limited accessibility.

5. Seamless User Experience

The user experience in such games is consistent. This is due to the seamless delivery of the gameplay, visuals, and the game’s overall performance to multiple platforms. The gameplay is the same in devices like PCs, tablets, smartphones, and consoles. No matter through which means they are accessing the game, with cross-platform support, the player’s experience is the same.

6. Efficient Maintenance of the Game

Post-deployment, the maintenance of these games are much easier related to native games. Developers don’t have to implement bug fixes, patches, and updates to different apps when you have a cross-platform game. This also cuts down on the cost perspective, and time, and saves on resources. It also ensures a seamless game experience for the users regardless of their devices.

7. Proper Resource Allocation

It means the time and money which is saved in developing a game based on a cross-platform approach can be utilized in other areas of development like research, testing, marketing and promotion, and more that enhance overall business growth.

8. High Revenue Generation

By targeting a wide range of users, you engage them in the game. The large player base of cross-platform games promotes sustained revenue growth through continuous gameplay, community engagement, in-game item purchases, and more.

9. Productive Marketing

Marketing a cross-platform game is more effective and efficient than marketing a native game. In this case, a broad marketing strategy can be implemented across different platforms which increases efficiency and ensures a large reach to the community. Also, it is important to note that, a cross-platform game is highly attractive and appealing to the mass players. 

Related: Complete Guide on Indie Game Development

Economic Benefits of Cross-Platform Game Development

Cross-platform game development has been a true game-changer for developers and online game companies alike. Imagine creating games that work on multiple platforms—this means you don’t have to build separate versions for each system, saving several precious hours and boosting potential revenue.

Building cross-platform games also makes updates and maintenance simpler, cutting down on long-term expenses. For developers, cross-platform mobile game development opens up massive market opportunities. In a nutshell, developing cross-platform games is a smart and sustainable way to maximize resources and ROI on the games.

1. Expanding Market Reach and Revenue Streams

Cross-platform game development enhances revenue streams by enabling games to run on multiple platforms, reducing development costs, and simplifying updates. This approach allows you to capitalize on various revenue models and monetize your game more effectively, maximizing its earning potential in the competitive gaming industry.

2. Efficient Cost Management in Development

Efficiency is one major reason behind the surge in cross-platform game development. You can effectively manage the cost as it’s developed by using a single codebase to build cross-platform games. This helps cut down on the costs and time involved otherwise. It also adds consistency and development quality, simplifying the development of cross-platform games.

3. Streamlined Maintenance and Updates

Delivering timely and smooth updates to all your games, across devices is essential in cross-platform development of games. BR Softech’s cross-platform game development strategy prioritises efficient and effective maintenance of games. By creating structured workflows, we minimize downtimes and increase player engagement. All in all, it’s about delivering reliable gaming opportunities to your players to keep them immersed and satisfied.

4. Enhanced Longevity and Revenue Consistency

Strategic planning is often viewed as a key factor in enhancing longevity and achieving consistent revenue. Games that cater to multiple devices, such as mobile and gaming consoles, have a longer lifespan. Cross-platform mobile game development also helps reduce development charges by enabling simultaneous updates and a stable user experience.

5. Boosting Investment Appeal

Investment appeal in the gaming industry requires a strong emphasis on adaptability and innovation. If your cross-platform games can be played on multiple platforms, they will likely attract a wider audience and potential investors. Lower development costs are another factor that investors may find appealing.

6. Optimal Resource Allocation

Optimal resource allocation is crucial for successful cross-platform game development. By strategically distributing resources, developers can efficiently create engaging and visually stunning games. This approach prioritizes creativity, resulting in innovative games that captivate players.

What Challenges You Face During Cross-Platform Game Development?

Cross-platform games are fun-filled and highly lucrative from a business perspective. But are you aware of the difficulties that arise in developing these games? Let’s know the biggest challenges that cross-platform developers must overcome to make the game project a success.

1. Complexity in Making Games for Consoles

Creating a game for consoles brings several challenges due to their distinctive hardware and software ecosystems. There are strict guidelines set by console manufacturers which need to be followed while developing console games. Furthermore, implementing post-deployment updates and patches can be a complex issue that can be mostly time-consuming.

2. Efficient Game Controls

We know that there are different controlling systems in each gaming platform. The PCs use keyboards, smartphones and tablets have touch displays, and consoles have controllers. While making a cross-platform game that works smoothly across these platforms can be a challenging task as the main objective is to provide a consistent gameplay experience throughout the devices.

3. Compatibility Over Multiple Devices

Multi-device compatibility is one of the challenges when it comes to developing a single app working on various platforms. The problem may be display problems, performance alterations, and functionality problems due to different screen sizes, hardware capabilities, etc. Game Developers will have to write custom codes to overcome these problems.

4. Capturing and Retaining Users

It requires customized strategies for retaining the users bringing and retaining users across various platforms. Tools can be used for analytics and tracking user behaviour. These tools provide valuable insights that help in retaining users.  

5. Maintaining Performance Optimization

Maintaining performance optimization across different platforms is one of the challenges. However, it can be overcome by applying optimizations for specific platforms and using tools for monitoring performance to identify and rectify restrictions. In addition to this, implementing a modular and scalable architecture can streamline cross-platform game app development.

6. Consistency In Quality Over Different Platforms

Delivering consistent quality and user experience to users across different platforms is of utmost importance. In simple words, the gaming graphics, visuals, and user experience must be similar without any differences. No matter, whether the player is accessing the game through a PC, smartphone or console.

Related : What is the Cost to Develop Game Software ?

Best Practices for Successful Cross-Platform Development

Cross-platform game development has transformed how games reach players across multiple devices. It is not just about coding. Instead, it’s about crafting experiences that resonate with the audience. Whether you’re starting cross-platform game development for mobile or consoles, it’s essential to be aware of best practices to ensure the seamless performance of your game.

Think of it as optimizing for both fun and functionality. Let’s explore some practical tips and insights to guide you through cross-platform mobile game development challenges, so you can create games that players love, no matter where they play.

1. Integrating Social Features

Integrating social features in your cross-platform game involves incorporating multiplayer modes, social media integration, and in-game communication. These factors are key to enhancing player interaction and community building. 

Moreover, they boost engagement, encourage player retention, and amplify the game’s virality through social sharing and competitive interactions on social and community platforms.

2. Developing Internal Tools and Utilities

Building internal tools and utilities includes creating custom tools for asset management, version control, testing, and performance analysis. These streamline workflows, boost collaboration, and optimize the development processes, resulting in more efficient production cycles and high-quality game releases.

3. Implementing a Microservices Architecture

Explore the power of microservices architecture. By breaking down game functionalities into independent services, microservices improve scalability, fault isolation, and development agility. This modular approach can also potentially aid in adapting functionalities for different platforms within a cross-platform development strategy.

4. Leveraging Component Reusability

By designing reusable UI elements, game mechanics, and rendering systems, developers can prioritize core gameplay, leveraging pre-built, high-quality components. This approach ensures a seamless user experience across platforms, reduces workload and facilitates efficient updates for a polished final product.

5. Maintaining a Cohesive Artistic Direction

Ensure a unified artistic direction by harmonizing visual style, narrative themes, and audio elements across your game. This consistency enhances immersion, reinforces storytelling impact, and strengthens brand identity. It guides design decisions—from character and environment creation—ensuring a cohesive player experience across all interactions.

6. Planning for Platform-Specific Adaptations

Game development companies can help you plan and implement platform-specific adaptations. This consists of optimizing game features, UI/UX design, and performance characteristics for each platform you target, whether mobile or PC.

This approach ensures games run smoothly across devices, capitalizing on hardware capabilities and user expectations to deliver tailored experiences that maximize engagement and player satisfaction.

Best Engines to Develop Cross-Platform Games

1. Unity 3D

The most popular game engine used for developing games. It is highly anticipated for its flexibility over a diverse range of platforms like Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Windows, and consoles. and ease of use. The main advantage of the Unity 3D engine is its powerful editor, large asset library, and strong community support. This engine is widely used in creating AR/VR games.

2. HTML5

It is a technology rather than a game engine that is used in making browser-based games that can be easily accessed through a web browser from any type of device. This tech is highly flexible and can enable building web games without any additional software requirements. Most mobile games and applications are created using HTML5 along with CSS and JavaScript to make them accessible from any device. 

3. Unreal Engine

Another popular engine that is known for its graphics quality. It is widely used in building AAA games. With robust and reliable support for various platforms including smartphones, PCs, consoles, and tablets, the Blueprint visual scripting system of Unreal Engine enables the developers to make complex functionalities without the need for deep coding knowledge which ultimately helps beginners and skilled developers.

4. Godot

Godot is a game engine that is easier to learn and use. The built-in GDScript is a programming language with the same wordings as Python making it easier to adapt for new programmers. It is used for making 2D and 3D games and is highly compatible with Linux, Windows, Android, iOS and other operating systems. Its efficiency and ease of use are two of the key points that make it a highly popular game engine.

5. Cocos2D-x

Cocos2D-x is an open-source framework that is ideal for developing 2D mobile games. It is known for its speed and coverage covering various platforms including macOS, Android, Windows, and iOS. This simple game engine uses C++ and also supports Lua and JavaScript, which makes it a viable choice for developers.

How Are Cross-Platform Games Developed at BR Softech?

At BR Softech, cross-platform games are meticulously developed with the help of advanced technologies and agile methodologies. We leverage frameworks such as Unity and Unreal Engine, and our approach emphasizes code reusability and platform-specific optimizations. This ensures seamless performance across various devices and operating systems, enhancing game accessibility and accelerating time-to-market.

Our team of developers focuses on creating engaging and innovative gaming experiences that resonate globally. By integrating cutting-edge tools and collaborative workflows, we strive to deliver high-quality games that meet the demands of players worldwide, maintaining our commitment to excellence in cross-platform game development.

1. Essential Pre-Production Considerations

Pre-production lays the foundation for successful game development projects, encompassing essential considerations before initiation. At BR Softech, we chart a comprehensive plan that includes market research, concept validation, budgeting and scheduling. This helps to align stakeholders’ expectations and effectively roadmap the development journey.

Further, we outline technical requirements, identify potential risks, and establish contingency plans to mitigate challenges that may arise during production.

2. Conceptualization and Audience Targeting

Conceptualizing a game goes beyond ideation; it’s about defining its core mechanics, narrative themes and stunning visuals. It integrates market insights and player feedback to create a compelling experience that resonates with the audience.

By understanding player expectations and preferences, our developers create engaging gameplay loops, immersive storytelling, and aesthetic coherence that captivate and retain players in the gaming space.

3. Building the Right Development Team

Building a cohesive and skilled development team is a must for executing a successful game project. We have professionals with expertise in game design, programming languages, art and animation, sound engineering, quality assurance, and project management.

By cultivating a supportive and inclusive work environment, teams can leverage their collective strengths to deliver high-quality games that meet or exceed client and player expectations.

4. From Design to Deployment 

We at BR Softech ensure a cohesive approach that combines a clear definition of gameplay mechanics, UI and UX design, level layouts, and narrative structures. Iterative testing and user feedback refine gameplay mechanics, ensuring smooth and engaging player experiences.

Deployment goes beyond just releasing your game. It meticulously manages the logistics of getting your game onto digital storefronts, handling updates and patches, and crafting engaging strategies to keep players hooked post-launch.

5. Creating and Integrating Assets

This is one of the essential phases that involves artwork, character design, environmental assets, audio compositions, and UX/UX elements. Each asset must align with the game’s visual style, thematic narrative, and technical specifications for seamless integration and immersive player experiences.

For integration, assets are implemented into the game engine, optimise file sizes and formats for performance, and maintain consistency in art direction and UI design.

6. Coding and Implementation

BR Softech brings expertise to the coding and implementation stages. Our team writes clean, efficient code meticulously tailored to your game’s unique needs.

The implementation stage seamlessly integrates all the game’s elements. We combine gameplay features, stunning art assets, immersive sound effects, and intuitive UI into a cohesive framework. Iterative testing, debugging, and player feedback refine the coding process, enhancing gameplay fluidity and responsiveness.

7. Ensuring QA and Continuous Support

This is a sum of rigorous testing phases to identify and resolve bugs, glitches and performance issues that may impact gameplay experience. Our rigorous testing phases include functional testing, compatibility testing across devices and platforms, performance testing, and user acceptance testing (UAT).

Continuous post-launch support involves ongoing updates, patches and feature enhancements based on feedback and trends.

8. Deployment and Distribution 

BR Softech’s game deployment strategies encompass the logistical aspects of launching games across digital storefronts. This includes managing submission processes, obtaining content ratings, and scheduling releases.

Distribution channels are optimized to enhance market reach and user acquisition. Effective deployment and distribution strategies ensure that BR Softech’s games reach their intended audience, maximize revenue potential, and sustain player engagement.

9. Maintenance and Support

At BR Softech, game maintenance involves post-launch activities aimed at sustaining and improving the playing experience over time. We support this with regular updates and content expansions to introduce new features, gameplay modes, and narrative arcs based on player feedback and market demand.

Our support services include community management, technical assistance through customer support channels, and proactive communication with existing players to identify and eliminate concerns, gather candid feedback, and foster a vibrant player community.

How BR Softech Can Help You Develop Cross-Platform Game?

BR Softech is a leading cross-platform game development company having 12+ years of experience in creating best-in-class cross-platform games for the global clientele. Our highly skilled cross-platform developer team is well-versed in the latest tools and technologies to create the best-in-class games that work on various platforms like Android, Mac, iOS, Windows, etc. If you are looking for cross-platform game development services to create a game for your business needs then contact us today to make your dream turn into a reality. Choose us to get:

  • 24-hour client support
  • Integration of advanced features
  • Cross-platform games at affordable rates
  • Latest tech stack
  • Maintenance and support after deployment
Contact us

Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ)

Q.1 What is cross-platform game development?

Ans. It is a process of making a game that can work on various devices like PCs, consoles, smartphones, and tablets. The objective of such a game is to provide a similar game experience to the users irrespective of the devices they are accessing the game.

Q.2 Why choose cross-platform?

Ans. Using cross-platform development ensures that your gaming app reaches a wider audience. It cuts down on costs and time spent on multiple versions and helps maintain a consistent user experience across devices. Whether for smartphones, tablets, or desktops, cross-platform apps offer flexibility without compromising on quality.

Q.3 Is cross-platform app development the future?

Ans. Yes, cross-platform app development is increasingly shaping the future of software. It allows developers to reach broader audiences efficiently, reduces development time and costs, and ensures consistency across multiple platforms. With growing demand for seamless user experiences, cross-platform development remains pivotal in the evolving tech world.

Q.4 What is the best language for cross-platform game development?

Ans. C++ and Java are the two most prominent languages for building a cross-platform game for mobile devices while also targeting other platforms.

Q.5  Why choose cross-platform?

Ans. By choosing a cross-platform game, owners can cut down on costs that are associated with creating separate apps for each platform and hiring different developer teams for each platform. On the other hand, it makes the development process faster as they have to create only one codebase which is applicable to all platforms. The time and money saved on making a cross-platform game can be utilized on other tasks which ultimately enhances efficiency.

Q.6 What are the challenges in cross-platform development?

Ans. The major challenge that arises while creating a cross-platform game is the uniform User experience across all platforms. It isn’t impossible but is a complex process as a single code is written which needs to be compatible to work on different devices.

Nitin Garg

I am Nitin Garg, founder of BR Softech PVT LTD - an award-winning mobile game development company known for its excellence in the gaming domain. We have a team of 180+ exceptional professionals & we have a satisfied clientele of 2.7k+ globally. Driven by an entrepreneurial spirit, I aim to elevate BR Softech to a billion-dollar company.

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