The gaming industry has a lot of scopes as it is constantly changing with the advent of technology. With the penetration of smartphones and low-cost data connectivity, online game applications are increasingly mainstream among people, irrespective of age or gender. Until recently, Cross-Platform Game Development meant developing games for consoles and PCs.
However, the scenarios have changed and mobile devices have joined the list of game development as more people are interested in playing games via their smartphones.
Today people want this flexibility of playing online games using different hardware. And that has become possible with the development of cross-platform games, allowing teams to create a code once and use it wherever possible. Cross-platform development will help you reach millions of screens too with less budget and resources. If you want to achieve high revenue and make your gaming platform accessible and available to a wide range of people via different platforms and devices, here is an exclusive guide for you!
In this blog, we will cover all the aspects related to cross-platform game development such as benefits, cross platform game engines and cost.
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Cross-platform solutions are increasingly adopted by gaming business owners to tap the global population and earn high returns on investment. As per the market analysis, 87% of multiplayer gamers are constantly opting for cross-platform titles to play. Moreover, 43% of players wish for an extensive range of cross-platform game options. Taking your business to the cross-platform can increase your revenue share from 20% to 40%
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Cross-platform game development is the concept of creating a game that players can play on multi-gaming platforms at once. Game developers use different tools and methods to build games with common code. Cross-platform development is complex as compared to other mobile game development. It requires a variety of software tools to build the games from the common codes and art assets. The development needs collaborative efforts of the developers and designers who sit together to develop an end-to-end solution using a common code base, game engines, software library, software development kit, and scripting language. Cross Platform Game Development
Unlike normal game development, cross-platform games can be developed by developers using different software and a single base code. This means developers don’t need separate code for different platforms. Cross-platform development allows developers to maintain and manage the development process in a seamless and hassle-free manner. The platform allows users to access the application for different screens and devices.
When it comes to system upgradation, developers need to simply make a change and deploy it on all the platforms, helping them save a lot of time, resources and energy. Creating a cross-platform game application might take you longer but it offers a one-stop solution to users and also to creators by saving their money and efforts of deploying a game on different platforms.
It is quite obvious that with cross-platform solutions you can reach more potential users and have maximum impact on the target audience. Moreover, a cross-platform game makes sure that the game remains consistent between different markets and helps you manage your user base in an efficient manner. Cross-platform mobile game development has its own share of advantages that are of utmost value. Some of the most common benefits are:
Creating a game directly on multiple platforms is faster and quicker than developing a game and then porting it to the other platforms after the launch. It is like a one-time investment that can help you save a lot of time and effort included in the launching of the game to other platforms.
Being a suitable game for various platforms, the game will gain popularity among users in a much faster way. Each player prefers to play online games on a different platform. Some people like to play games on Android, while others prefer to play games on a PC or tablet. Hence, the cross-platform solutions allow players to enjoy immersive gameplay on different platforms due to their wider accessibility.
Cross-platform video game development covers a wider section of users because of its wider accessibility and availability. Most potential gamers use both PC and Consoles to play online games. While others just use their mobile phones to play games. Therefore, it covers a maximum range of target audiences from different parts of the world.
The platform allows users to enjoy an interactive and immersive gameplay experience by enabling them to play games on whichever platform they want. Cross-platform games bring different communities of gamers together and let players play irrespective of the location or the platform.
Developing a cross-platform game allows you to cover all the costs related to the development cycles required to create a game for different platforms. There is no need to spend money on reaching different sets of target audiences or markets as the game app will be the same.
If the game has a single base code, the updates and regular quality check costs will be comparatively less. That’s the case with cross-platform game development as it allows developers to make changes and updates in a single base code, cutting overhead costs or expenditures on maintenance of different platforms. Therefore, bug checking and testing of one base code will be much easier, more efficient and cost-effective for developers.
Cross-platform mobile game development allows users to do effective marketing as the focus will be on only one gaming content. Therefore, the audience will be the same, and efforts will be more centralized and aligned.
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Creating a game on several platforms is not an easy task, and hence requires an advanced tech stack and technical expertise besides generic knowledge and skills. Most developers prefer the programming language C++ to create feature-rich cross-platform games. However, the development cost in C++ will be comparatively higher as it is difficult and complex to use as compared to other programming languages.
Here is the list of best cross platform game development engines that can be of great use.
Unity is a supreme C++-based engine for multi-platform game development that works great for a wide range of platforms, including mobiles, consoles and PCs. This game engine doesn’t give its source code to the users and hence they don’t have to suffer a lot because of that. The Unity 3D cross-platform development uses C++, Unityscript or Boo as the scripting API for the game and features an interactive interface and easy setup for cross platform development.
Unity game engine is used by most gaming entrepreneurs, small and medium gaming companies and indie studios. Moreover, this game engine offers a huge number of 3D and 2D resources optimized forHow Much Does it Cost To Develop a Cross-Platform Game? mobile devices.
Unreal game engine consists of a built-in visual scripting tool blueprint, that can be used to create game visuals targeting different hardware. Most developers use unreal engine cross-platform development to support games on PCs, Consoles and PCs. Therefore, most often, this game engine becomes a top priority of many companies planning and developing many projects for multiplayer mode.
HTML5 is the fifth version of HTML that extends, enhances, and rationalizes document markup, suitable for cross-platform game development. More than half of the games are developed using HTML5 combined with javascript and CSS. As a result, you will receive a responsive game on different platforms like smartphones or desktops.
Godot is a feature-packed open-source programming language that supports cross-platform 2D and 3D game development. It has built-in nodes and a user-friendly visual editor that simplifies and fastens the game development process. Godot is a relatively easy-to-learn-and-use game engine. Both experienced and beginner developers can use this engine to do wonders because of its user-friendly features and easy-to-operate functions.
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It is very difficult to define the exact cost of a cross-platform game until and unless we don’t know each and every detail and specification of your project. Most gaming entrepreneurs hire experienced developers for the development of cross platform NFT games. On average, cross-platform game development software costs around $35,000 to $50,000. The cost may shoot up to $60,000 if you want to integrate more advanced features, graphics, and technical aspects into the platform. There are different factors affecting the cost of overall cross-platform solutions such as:-
Here is an estimated cost of different development phases that can help you create a budget in advance.
| Development Phase | Development Cost |
| UI/UX Design | $6,000 to $8,000 |
| Native platform development | $10,000 to $12,000 |
| Backend development | $6,000 to $8,000 |
| Testing and QA | $8,000 to $9,000 |
| Project management | $5,000 to $6,000 |
| Final cost | $35,000 to $50,000 |
Cross-platform game development is not an overnight task and hence requires expert knowledge and guidance of a development company, having hands-on experience in NFT, blockchain-based and metaverse game development. In order to stay ahead of the cut-throat competition, make sure to leverage the latest technology and cross-platform game development engines to develop future-ready cross-platform solutions.
The main objective of cross platform mobile game development is to reach wider segments of society with less investment possible. And thanks to cross platform video game development that allows creators to reach millions of screens with fewer investments, and resources. Choose us as your next project partner to get scalable, reliable, and high-performance cross-platform game development services.
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Cross-platform app development is a process by which you can make an application accessible on different platforms. Read More
The cross-platform game development process is not as easy as it looks. You need to follow a predefined set of stages to develop an end-to-end application with high-quality features. These steps include the pre-development, development, and post-development phases. These stages include various steps such as research planning, UI/UX design, development, testing, QA, marketing and launching.
Cryengine, Godot engine, LibGDX, and Game Maker Studio are the most preferable and acceptable cross-platform game development engines among developers worldwide.
