PlayFab Launches Free Tier to Expand Developer Access to Essential Backend Game Technologies, Further Democratize Game Development

SEATTLE, June 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- PlayFab, the industry's most complete backend service to build, launch and grow live games, today announced the release of PlayFab Free Tier, granting game developers unlimited free access to some of the most popular elements of its backend game operations platform. Features such as receipt verification and authenticated logins allow developers to reduce fraud and improve revenue, while making it easier to enable cross-platform play.

Live games are a significant and growing part of the games industry, with worldwide digital game revenues reaching $70.9 billion in 2015, putting them at 78 percent of the global games market compared to a 74 percent share in 2014, according to recent research from Newzoo. This growth means an increasing number of studios are looking to create live games with significant emphasis on post-launch operations, but the cost and hassle of achieving this through custom-built server-side tools and technologies have become barriers to entry.

PlayFab's proven backend service already reduces those barriers for game developers, and now the Free Tier removes them entirely, providing a risk-free way for developers to immediately begin using tools that deepen player relationships and boost monetization. The Free Tier is especially suited for games that are currently live but may lack the tools needed to grow, engage, or monetize an already-established player base. Receipt verification and real-money purchasing allow games to improve revenue while reducing client-side fraud. Cross-platform authentication and player data allows games to offer seamless cross-device play to users. Server-side title data storage lets developers adjust their games after launch without having to recertify.

"Indie game studios are the beating heart of game innovation today. As game development becomes increasingly expensive and complex, these studios are looking for resources that allow them to cost-effectively do what they do best – create great games," said James Gwertzman, founder and CEO of PlayFab. "Moves by Unity and Unreal to grant developers free access to their engines have been an inspiration, and by launching Free Tier, we are furthering an important movement to open access to technology for the greater game development community."

For studios with small budgets and teams, cost-effective development solutions and the ability to extend revenue opportunities beyond a game's launch have become paramount to their success. PlayFab's Free Tier directly addresses this need and builds on the company's core mission to streamline game development and help developers of all sizes build, launch and grow great games.

Hyper Hippo Games, the developer behind the hit PC and mobile game AdVenture Capitalist, with nearly 1 million daily active players, will be one of the first developers to take advantage of PlayFab's new Free Tier.

"We're excited to be working with PlayFab because we think using their new Free Tier will allow us to unlock tremendous value in our games without huge upfront investment," said Lance Priebe, CEO of Hyper Hippo Games. "As game designers it is smart for us to focus on what we are good at, and work with PlayFab and others to build the best back-end platform possible."

PlayFab's Free Tier can be easily integrated at any stage in the lifecycle of a game, with SDKs for Unity, Unreal, Javascript, Flash and other engines and languages. Unity developers can also take advantage of a new drag-and-drop Unity SDK that makes integration with Unity 5 even easier. PlayFab's game operations solutions are available to game developers on all platforms, including mobile, tablet, PC, and console with integration across Steam, Apple, Facebook, Google, Xbox, and PSN.

Thousands of developers are already using PlayFab, with 300 titles in active development and 10 million total players registered. Since March, PlayFab has seen a nearly 90% increase in new titles adopting its platform.

To sign up and get started using PlayFab's new Free Tier, visit: http://playfab.com/freetier

About PlayFab, Inc.
Based in Seattle, WA, PlayFab offers the most complete set of backend services to build, launch, and grow live games, including player accounts, virtual goods, analytics, leaderboards, multiplayer, in-game messaging, content management and more. PlayFab's tools are cross-platform and designed to be used by mobile, PC and console developers. For more information, visit playfab.com.  

SOURCE PlayFab

Related Links

http://www.playfab.com