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Rumor: Android getting its own gaming service / competitor to iOS Game Center

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Android Police just published a teardown of the APK for the Google Glasses app, which revealed many hidden features that lead to Android's own competitor to Game Center on iOS. All of these features have files within the APK so I'd be pretty surprised if this isn't real.

Could this be the long awaited Google Games?

Features include:
-Real time multiplayer
-Turn based multiplayer
-In-game chat
-Achievements
-Leaderboards
-Lobbies

http://www.androidpolice.com/2013/0...e-chat-lobbies-leaderboards-and-achievements/

The really good news is that this seems nearly finished! It being including in a shipping product suggests that it's finished and freely floating around Google HQ. I would expect to hear a lot more about it at Google I/O.
Click to expand...

Looks like this year's Google I/O is gearing up to be pretty huge.
 
Doesn't seem a rumor as much as simply a matter of when. Ron's teardowns have rarely surfaced things that didn't ultimately come to fruition. Plus Google themselves had officially said a service like this is coming.

Hopefully it's open and cross-platform to some degree. At least for things like achievements and leaderboards. Would love to see those kind of things become less walled-in on consoles.

Edit: It's a good bet this is at least for Android AND Chrome/Web. Again, based on Google's previous statements.
 
Mindman said:
Good news. Now they just need a unified backup/restore solution that works for all phones.
Click to expand...

There is info out there that they will allow developers to save app data onto your Google Drive account for later retrieving (game saves, app data, etc). It's coming.
 
Hopefully it replaces those awful Japanese/Korean services (GREE, GGEE).
 
Between this and Babel their new chat service... Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie is looking like a pretty damn sustancial update.
 
Damn? In game chat and lobbies? That's fucking awesome.

C'mon Apple. I want to have a reason to get back into iOS gaming. Counter this!
 
Finally. I was pissed when last year I wrote up a big spiel about Google Games for the I/O thread's rumor section and then they said goddamn nothing.
LLShC.gif


Why would you do that? said:
Yeah I was thinking this, too. I'll be sad if it requires Google+.
Click to expand...

But G+ is awesome.

(And they relaxed those rules.)
 
Toki767 said:
So that means anyone who doesn't own a Nexus device in the US right now won't see it until they get a new phone?
Click to expand...

That depends. This could hook through the Google Play services and actually be backwards compatible to Gingerbread. Just saying. I'm no developer.
 
Andrex said:
But G+ is awesome.

(And they relaxed those rules.)
Click to expand...

I know they relaxed them once, allowing you to use a nickname, but it was still alongside your full name. Did they relax them again? Will they not kick you off Google+ if you use an initial or something? If so, I'd be very happy to sign up.

Toki767 said:
So that means anyone who doesn't own a Nexus device in the US right now won't see it until they get a new phone?
Click to expand...

Even if it was Key Lime Pie only, old phones will surely have updates, and there will always be homemade ROMs.
 
Why would you do that? said:
I know they relaxed them once, allowing you to use a nickname, but it was still alongside your full name. Did they relax them again? Will they not kick you off Google+ if you use an initial or something? If so, I'd be very happy to sign up.
Click to expand...

One of my friends has been using a crazy name for a while and hasn't had problems. Although I've been telling him to use his real name since it bugs me that his stands out in my chat list. >_>
 
Andrex said:
One of my friends has been using a crazy name for a while and hasn't had problems. Although I've been telling him to use his real name since it bugs me that his stands out in my chat list. >_>
Click to expand...

Alright fine, I'll sign up. But if the Google overlords catch me, I'm going straight to you for blaming. :p

(Joking aside, I still hope they officially relax their rules a bit more in the future.)
 
APolice are the bestest. The iterate rate is astounding right now, I expected deceleration from last year. But if we really do see This + Streaming radio service + Babel on top of the Play Store redesign, GNow improvements and whatnot this will be a second straight year of great improvements.
 
Andrex said:
One of my friends has been using a crazy name for a while and hasn't had problems. Although I've been telling him to use his real name since it bugs me that his stands out in my chat list. >_>
Click to expand...

I'm the GApps admin for my school and one of my students first names is Blue. When we switched on G+ I had to rename him Dave just so it would let him on...

OT: There goes my hopes of a Google/Nintendo partnership. How would in game chat work better than say SMS/iMessage?
 
Bert said:
I'm the GApps admin for my school and one of my students first names is Blue. When we switched on G+ I had to rename him Dave just so it would let him on...

OT: There goes my hopes of a Google/Nintendo partnership. How would in game chat work better than say SMS/iMessage?
Click to expand...

Google has an app for Wii U already, though.
 
Yeah, sounds good, I/O is gonna be sweet this year! Now, if they would just kindly remove their thumbs from their asses and bring Play Music/Movies/Books/Magazines/etc to Scandinavia... We still only have apps, nothing else.
 
Hopefully it's true. Gamecentre is better than nothing but it still sucks compared to XBL, PSN and Steam.

More standardization across the Android space is only a good thing and signing up for a dozen different services to access online is crap. Also OpenFeint needs to die in a fire.
 
Two weeks bump

Unknown Soldier said:
I wonder if this will be the "big" new feature in Key Lime Pie.
Click to expand...

In that case, we're going to have to wait for a while more... This is apparently done so that the OEMs can take a breath and prepare for the K.

I wonder if it could still be a 4.3 introduced feature... Don't see why not, considering it will be available to both ICS and JB, most likely. Google is targeting to 4.0 on in the last few months, with Keep and Ingress not being available for older Android versions -- might as well introduce Play Games in their main Android keynote. Of course, it's still possible KLP will be unveiled in the I/O; it won't be the first time we come surprised.

By the way, it's noteworthy that it's not going to be just an "Android Game Center". It will most likely be a unified platform for all games on Google's platforms, including Android, Chrome and Google+. I remember a few months back it was actually even hinted to be this way.
 
ash_ag said:
Two weeks bump



In that case, we're going to have to wait for a while more... This is apparently done so that the OEMs can take a breath and prepare for the K.

I wonder if it could still be a 4.3 introduced feature... Don't see why not, considering it will be available to both ICS and JB, most likely. Google is targeting to 4.0 on in the last few months, with Keep and Ingress not being available for older Android versions -- might as well introduce Play Games in their main Android keynote. Of course, it's still possible KLP will be unveiled in the I/O; it won't be the first time we come surprised.

By the way, it's noteworthy that it's not going to be just an "Android Game Center". It will most likely be a unified platform for all games on Google's platforms, including Android, Chrome and Google+. I remember a few months back it was actually even hinted to be this way.
Click to expand...


Me thinks a big chunk of the 3 hour keynote for I/O will be showing off the features of this "game center"
 
Not sure if thread worthy, but the I/O sessions were announced. Links for the game-related ones:

https://developers.google.com/events/io/sessions/324858737
https://developers.google.com/events/io/sessions/326367481
https://developers.google.com/events/io/sessions/325345389
https://developers.google.com/events/io/sessions/326445164
https://developers.google.com/events/io/sessions/325240798

The first one is right after the main Android session and likely for the Play Games service (or however it'll be called :D).

And the I/O site is brilliant this year!
 
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