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Microsoft, ESL, and FACEIT recently announced a joint cooperation to allow Xbox One and Windows 10 developers to integrate tournaments into their games.
The news came after Microsoft announced its new Xbox Live Tournaments Platform at the Game Developers Conference 2016.
Similar to multiplayer in current Xbox Live games, Microsoft will take care of registration, queuing, and notifications. A new preview software development kit (SDK) is being released by the company, which will allow developers to easily implement Xbox Live tournaments.
Deal will bring a new aspect of competition to Xbox
FACEIT, the leading competitive gaming platform, as well as ESL, the global eSports league, are both working with Microsoft as partners in the service.
According to Joanna Mason, principle program manager lead of competitive gaming for Xbox:
“We’re thrilled to have FACEIT be one of the first Tournament Organizer partners for the Xbox Live Tournaments Platform.
FACEIT’s fan base and expertise will amplify the platform capabilities, provide better support for game developers and help bring competitive gaming for all skill levels to the living room and on Windows 10 PC.”
FACEIT is also helping third-party video game developers and publishers add a competitive layer to their games for the Xbox Live Tournaments Platform.
“The launch of the Xbox Live Tournaments Platform is a monumental moment for the future of competitive gaming and the growth of eSports,” said Niccolo Maisto, CEO of FACEIT. “With the new Xbox Live Tournaments Platform, Microsoft is embracing eSports and enabling gamers to experience the fun and excitement that competitive gaming has to offer.”
ESL tournaments will be easily integrated into platform
From the side of ESL, the company’s technical development team will be working together with Microsoft in order to integrate ESL tournament systems directly into the Xbox Live tournaments platform. The partnership, according to ESL, will give both developers and publishers easy and automated access to live tournaments as well as give them the ability to take tournament logistics into their own hands.
“The tournament experience on ESL platforms looks to see a significant increase thanks to our partnership with Microsoft,” said Arne Peters, vice president strategic relations and ESL technology. “ESL platform integration is a big step forward in establishing competitive gaming and eSports. We are very happy to be working with Microsoft on projects such as these and are excited to see them embrace the significance of eSports and its phenomenal growth.”
Everyone is already gearing up to make their games ready for tournament integration as the popularity of both eSports and eSports betting sites continues to boom. And, according to Microsoft, FACEIT, and ESL, the first games that work with the platform will be available later in 2016.
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