New Details Announced For Xbox Live Coming To Android And iOS Mobile Devices

Microsoft has revealed more information about Xbox Live coming to both Android and iOS devices. Xbox Live support on mobile devices will be possible through Xbox Live SDK, a new cross-platform mobile software development kit created by Microsoft.

"We believe so strongly in community, and Xbox Live really being at the heart of our gaming community," Microsoft gaming cloud chief Kareem Choudhry said in a briefing, according to The Verge. "If you watch what we've done, especially with Minecraft, over the past few years we've taken Xbox Live to as many platforms as Minecraft is on as possible. Really uniting all those communities together with a consistent singular experience for those gamers."

Most of the features tied to an Xbox Live account are also added to a game with SDK, such as achievements, Gamerscore, hero stats, friend lists, and clubs. It's worth noting that Xbox Live support does already exist for Android and iOS titles, but it's been limited to Microsoft Studios games. The new SDK makes Xbox Live support available for all.

During the briefing, Choudhry also spoke about bringing Xbox Live support to Nintendo Switch and Sony's PlayStation 4. Choudhry said that Microsoft has an interest in uniting "the two billion gamers of the world" but also clarified that he had no "specific announcements" as of this time to make about Xbox Live appearing on Switch or PS4. "If you've watched us for the past few years, we've taken a very inclusive approach," Choudhry continued. "Phil [Spencer] has been very proactive on issues like cross-play, cross-progression, and uniting gamer networks, and we're willing to partner with the industry as much as we possibly can."

Microsoft has made several strong pushes in support of cloud gaming in the past few years. The company has just launched Game Stack, a platform specifically designed to help developers build and launch cloud-connected games. Game Stack collects all of Microsoft's developer tools, services, and platforms with Azure and PlayFab--a collection which includes DirectX, Mixer, Power BI, Havok, Visual Studio, Windows, Xbox Game Studios, Xbox Live, and Simplygon. For more details, you can read up on Game Stack on Microsoft's website.

The company has also developed a Netflix-like platform for video games with Game Pass, and has expressed an interest in bringing the full service to more than just Xbox One consoles. Project xCloud--which was demonstrated for the first time during March 2019's Inside Xbox livestream--is also in development, and promises to allow players to stream their Xbox games through their PC or mobile devices.