Microsoft acquires PlayFab, a complete backend platform provider for cloud-connected games

Microsoft today announced that they are acquiring PlayFab, a leading backend platform provider for cloud-connected games. PlayFab’s tools already support games across various platforms on mobile, PC and console ecosystem. PlayFab powers more than 1,200 live games, and have served over 700 million players. It process more than 1.5 billion transactions a day, nearly 20,000 transactions a second. It is being used by popular content and gaming companies including Disney, NBC Universal, Wizards of the Coast, Nickelodeon, Bandai Namco, Rovio, and Capcom, as well as fast-growing indies like Fluffy Fairy, Nvizzio, and Hyper Hippo. With this acquisition, Microsoft is trying to make Azure more attractive to game developers. Even though PlayFab is available on AWS right now, native integration of PlayFab on Azure in the future will make it more compelling for game developers.

PlayFab’s backend services reduce the barriers to launch for game developers, offering both large and small studios cost-effective development solutions that scale with their games and help them engage, retain and monetize players. PlayFab enables developers to use the intelligent cloud to build and operate games, analyze gaming data and improve overall gaming experiences.

“Microsoft, with its deep expertise in gaming and cloud computing, is a perfect home for PlayFab as we expand our platform and features. Our customers are worldwide, and Microsoft’s global presence and world-class Microsoft Azure server infrastructure complement PlayFab’s services, making it even easier for studios to focus on building great games instead of back end technology,” said James Gwertzman, CEO and co-founder of PlayFab.

“Together, Azure and PlayFab will further unlock the power of the intelligent cloud for the gaming industry, enabling game developers and delighting gamers around the world,” wrote Kareem Choudhry, Corporate Vice President, Gaming at Microsoft.