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The ability to play with other platforms and MonoGame compatibility are among Microsoft’s early GDC reveals.
The platform holder unveiled a number of new developer-requested features ahead of the show.
First up was cross-network play, which adds to the existing support for multiplayer between Xbox One and Windows 10.
Rocket League will be the first game to allow play between PC and Xbox users, with the door left open for devs to introduce connectivity between other consoles – such as PS4 and Wii U – and rival computer operating systems such as SteamOS, Mac and Linux.
Microsoft has also added MonoGame support to Xbox One, providing a bridge between its XNA programming framework – which doesn’t natively work on the platform – and the console. Among the first titles to use the tech to come to Xbox One is Axiom Verge.
It also revealed that the Xbox Game Preview programme, which allows studios to launch their titles in an in-development state on Xbox One, would continue, having been used by games including Layers of Fear, The Long Dark and Ark so far.
ID@Xbox director Chris Charla compared the launch of the initiative, when 50 developers were involved, to the more than 1,400 studios now launching through the programme.
