If you are a loyal user of Unity, you are already aware of the strength of the Unity engine and how much easier it makes game production. However, you might not be aware of the relationship between Unity and Google or the collaboration that exists between the two companies to assist users. Since 2018, when the two companies chose to collaborate, Unity has become an increasing presence on the Google Cloud, and now the two businesses are ramping up further.

Unity allows users the ability to build games and experiences in both 2D and 3D. Additionally, the engine provides a core scripting API in C# using Mono, which can be used for both the Unity editor in the form of plugins and the games themselves, as well as drag-and-drop capability. Since it was first developed, Unity has been seen as a major power in the game development arena, standing square alongside both Unreal and the CryENGINE, but is also seen as being relatively easy for beginners to pick up, while being sufficiently powerful for professional users to utilise for the most complex developments. 

Despite the growth of a range of other game development programs, mostly aimed at the beginner, Unity continues to grow in game development and for that reason, Google is expanding the current partnership with Unity to promote games development. It is estimated that close to 80% of gamers worldwide prefer multiplayer games, and that requires huge connectivity. By partnering with Google, Unity will be able to seamlessly deliver the content that gamers want. Connected games are the most played, watched, and successful gaming experiences; nevertheless, developing them is a difficult endeavour that needs major resources, technology, and knowledge; it is unquestionably a significant achievement for game producers of all sizes. Beginning with hosting for multiplayer game servers and a new open-source matchmaking project that was co-founded by Unity and Google Cloud, game developers will now have access to a suite of features designed to accelerate the development of connected games through the partnership between Unity and Google Cloud.

The first items from Unity Gaming Services to be made available on Google Cloud Marketplace are Unity’s Game Server Hosting and Unity’s Voice and Text Chat (Vivox). These are necessary tools for developing rich experiences that involve multiple players. Game Server Hosting is a dedicated game server hosting solution that provides developers with the assistance they need to efficiently scale their games as the popularity of those games increases. This service has earned the confidence of gaming studios of all sizes, from those at the absolute pinnacle of the industry to those working in the independent space. In-game player communication is made possible via Unity’s Voice and Text Chat, which has been widely regarded as the best communications option for more than a decade.

Furthermore, Unity and Google are also committed to assisting mobile game studios with monetising their games and scaling their operations to ever higher levels. This assistance is in addition to helping game creators construct fantastic multiplayer experiences. By making Google demand available for in-app bidding via Unity LevelPlay, developers will have easier access to a premium pool of advertisers, which will result in improved potential to monetise inventory. This not only cuts costs associated with advertising activities but also speeds up the transaction process. Through the expansion of their advertising collaboration, Unity and Google are giving mobile content creators the ability to improve their efficiency and more easily achieve overall commercial success.

But aside from helping gamers connect internationally, the partnership between Unity and Google gives developers a huge repository of resources to use in their projects, helping populating game on different platforms with high-quality content. By doing this, Unity helps their user base – from beginners right up to professional and polished content – make the best possible content that they can, and great content becomes its own selling point.  

Unity is now working on expanding its UGS solutions to be available on Google Cloud Marketplace. Additionally, the integration of Google demand into Unity LevelPlay is a major milestone in this partnership’s progression towards becoming more in-depth. This is a step towards the eventual objective of assisting creators in overcoming some of the most difficult obstacles they face when creating and expanding live games.

These are exciting times and we certainly hope that the benefits that this collaboration brings will get more people interested in taking up Unity as a game development platform of choice. Visit the Google Marketplace to find out more about Unity Game Server Hosting and Unity Voice and Text Chat.