Ever since the advent of cloud computing, the gaming industry has shifted gears, taking giant leaps forward in terms of development, deployment, and scalability of gaming applications. Fortune Business Insights’ stats on cloud gaming show that the market was valued at $3.2 billion in 2022 and is predicted to grow to $40.8 billion by 2029. And while it all started with moving to a single cloud, today, we have seen a rise in multi-cloud adoption.
For those uninitiated, multi-cloud uses multiple cloud computing services, including public cloud providers, in a single network architecture. Many gaming devs are turning to multi-cloud developer data platforms to take full advantage of this approach.
Such platforms offer various benefits. Let’s delve into those to understand why it’s a transformative journey every gaming dev should embark on.
What is a Multi-Cloud Developer Data Platform?
A developer data platform is a unified central hub that integrates various tools and services for data collection, analysis, and dissemination. It is capable of working with multi-cloud infrastructure, thereby combining the advantages of various cloud services to provide optimal solutions for developers. These platforms are also built to be user-friendly and accessible. For instance, developers can try MongoDB and set up their first database within minutes.
Addressing Latency Issues
One major concern of gaming devs has always been latency – the delay before a data transfer begins following instructions for its transfer. Imagine a game where players encounter lags or delays in movements or action commands; it would lead to an unsatisfactory user experience and, eventually, a loss of players.
By distributing workloads across multiple clouds, multi-cloud developer data platforms can help alleviate this issue. They can select the most efficient route for data, thereby reducing latency and providing gamers with the smooth, responsive experience they demand.
Improved Reliability and Uptime
When relying on a single cloud service, any downtime can disrupt the gaming experience, diminish user satisfaction and eventually, harm the developer’s reputation. Multi-cloud platforms can substantially mitigate these risks.
Since applications are hosted on multiple clouds, if one cloud provider experiences downtime, the workload can be rapidly shifted to another cloud, ensuring uninterrupted gaming service for users.
Unmatched Scalability
Gaming devs often face the challenge of unpredictable traffic. A perfect example is the viral success of the game Lethal Company, which quickly rose to over 100,000 concurrent players not long after its release. A game could become wildly popular overnight, leading to a surge in traffic that the existing infrastructure may not handle efficiently. Conversely, the traffic could also decline.
Multi-cloud developer platforms can deal with these fluctuations seamlessly because they enable seamless scalability. Instead of depending on a single cloud service, devs can spread the load across various services, thus effectively meeting the demands of changes in traffic in real time.
Enhanced Data Security
Cybersecurity is very costly, especially in the gaming industry, where sensitive data is often at stake. Fortunately, multi-cloud platforms enhance overall data security.
Scattering data across multiple clouds minimizes the risk associated with a single point of failure. If one cloud server gets compromised, the risk is isolated, preventing it from spreading across your entire operation. Also, you can take advantage of different cloud providers’ unique security offerings for a more airtight defense.
Greater Autonomy and Innovation Opportunities
Finally, a multi-cloud approach allows gaming developers to cherry-pick different cloud vendors’ unique features without being limited by a single provider’s capabilities. This fosters an environment conducive to innovation.
Developers can choose different cloud services that cater to specific needs based on performance, features, and costs. This way, they can reap benefits served by different vendors and don’t have to compromise due to the limitations of a single provider.
Final Word
Gaming devs are constantly looking for technologies that will give them the edge, and multi-cloud developer data platforms are just one of these currently being explored. As gamers demand more immersive, faster, and reliable gaming experiences, these platforms will become a future necessity.
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