Google Play Games update adds cross-platform multiplayer with iOS

In future updates, Google will, among other things, add cross-platform multiplayer functionality to Google Play Games, allowing iOS and Android users to play the same online games against or with each other.

A leaked press release from Google reveals that the company will unveil the new features during the Game Developers Conference, which runs from March 17 to 21. Although Google itself has already taken the press release offline, Android Police managed to copy it in time. The message talks about an update to the Google Play Game services that brings multiplayer functionality to iOS. In addition, Google’s Play Games Unity plugin will be updated to include support for cross-platform multiplayer services. Once these updates are rolled out, gamers on iOS and Android should be able to play multiplayer games with each other, provided the game in question is released for both platforms.

Furthermore, in the press release, Google talks about the ability to send in-game gifts to people in your Google+ circles or directly to a Google Play Games user. Users can continue to invite other players to play after the update. In addition, games will be divided into eighteen categories in the future. Achievements and leaderboard support is also in the works for the Play Games C++ sdk. Finally, Google speaks of improved and expanded functionality with the Google Play Developer Console and the AdMob platform, which allows developers to better understand how players interact with their games and the ads in them. It is not yet known when Google will actually release these functionalities, but it will probably be announced during the Game Developers Conference.