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Epic Games announced that it would allow developers to use the cross-platform services developed for Fortnite for free. The services would be launched in phases, and the entire suite would be live before the end of 2019.
The services that will be made available to the developers are thoroughly tested, with over 2 million players across seven different platforms, including the PC, Mac, PlayStation, Xbox, Android, iOS, and the Nintendo Switch. It is interesting to note that these features would be open to all platforms, all stores and all engines, giving the developers improved customization.
Epic Games' post on the Unreal website outlines some of the key features that one could expect to see in the upcoming developer tools.
Cross-Platform Login, Friends, Presence, Profile, and Entitlements (coming Q2-Q3 2019 to PC, other platforms throughout 2019): Provides the core functionality for persistently recognizing players across multiple sessions and devices; identifying friends; and managing free and paid item entitlements. This will support all 7 major platforms (PC, Mac, iOS, Android, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch) to the full extent each platform allows per-title.
Want to know what items might feature in the shop tomorrow? Check out our predictions for tomorrow's Fortnite Item Shop
PC/Mac Overlay API (coming Q3 2019): Provides a user interface for login, friends, and other features in a game-agnostic, engine-agnostic way.
Cross-Platform Voice Comms (coming Q3 2019 to all platforms): Epic is building a new in-game voice communications service supporting all platforms, all stores, and all engines, which will be available for free. (For developers needing an immediately-available voice solution, check out Discord, Vivox, TeamSpeak, Ventrilo, and Mumble.)
Cross-Platform Parties and Matchmaking (coming Q3-4 2019 to all platforms)
Cross-Platform Data Storage, Cloud-Saved Games (coming Q2 2019)
Cross-Platform Achievements and Trophies (coming Q3 2019)
Additionally, the company behind the franchise announced that it would be developing features for user-generated content, enhanced social features, and anti-cheat measures. Epic Games also reiterated that these services are primarily hosted on Amazon Web Services data centres around the globe.
Prior to this announcement, the company launched its own store - Epic Games Store in the month of December to take on Valve Corporation's Steam.
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The Battle Bus is heading into Fortnite! Check out the final Fortnite item shop today!
