The development of multiplayer games is about to change. Croquet Corporation has just announced Croquet for Unity, a JavaScript multiplayer framework that will provide Unity developers with an incredibly easy method to build and operate innately multiplayer Unity experiences. The multiplatform will be available for early access Beta in April of 2023.
Revolutionary Approach to Multiplayer Development
The beauty of Croquet for Unity is that developers won’t have to build or maintain networking code, as their unique Synchronized Computation Architecture eliminates traditional servers and server-side code. Instead, users will connect through the Croquet Multiplayer Network, which is made up of stateless microservers called Reflectors that fuel bit-identical experiences among players. This global infrastructure will be available on multiple continents.
The key to understanding Croquet is that it synchronizes the evolution of state over time. Because it synchronizes computation itself, it eliminates the need to transmit the resulting state of complex computations like physics or AIs. This feature also eradicates the need for specialized data structures to be used for synchronized properties, or having to mark certain objects to be synchronized. This allows developers to write multiplayer code that is very similar to writing single-player code since a full game simulation runs on-device.
What Croquet is delivering is no small feat. They are offering shared, multiplayer simulations that have heretofore been impossible. For example, shared real-time interactive physics where the multiuser physics become an essential game mechanic, perfectly replicated non-player character behaviors, where even complex actions and user interactions are identical, and complex game player interactions where users can dynamically collaborate to create, modify or destroy their worlds while the game action is live. These simulations have been impossible to deliver over traditional networks due to bandwidth limitations and inherent complexity.
The Benefits of Croquet for Unity
Croquet is making multiplayer game development as easy as creating single-player games. This will reduce costs in development and deployment for developers, as well as expedite release times for new games. When there is no netcode to develop or manage, designers can focus on the player experience. Croquet for Unity is also valuable for small, independent developers who are often not able to design multiplayer games due to a lack of in house networking and backend development expertise.
Experience the Future of Multiplayer Game Development
Croquet for Unity package is free and will be available on commercial release from the Unity Asset Store. However, it will require a gaming or enterprise subscription and a developer API key from Croquet for access to its global Croquet Multiplayer Network.
Are you eager to experience the future of multiplayer game development? Join the waitlist for early access today at Beta Waitlist. If you will be at Game Developers Conference (GDC), schedule a time to meet David A. Smith and see a demo.
About Croquet
Croquet was founded in 2019 in an effort to enable rapid multiplayer evolution in web and gaming. The team at Croquet delivers the Multiplayer Platform for Web and Gaming, and its unique Synchronized Computation Architecture creates bit-identical user experiences that are synchronized, low latency, low bandwidth and innately multiuser by moving computing from the server beyond the edge to user devices. The platform is simple for 17M+ JavaScript developers on over 200,000,000 active websites. Croquet has already been named “Startup to Watch” at the AWE Conference in May 2022 and received the WEBXR Platform of the Year at the Polys Awards in March 2023. Croquet is funded by SIP Global Partners and a group of experienced technology and financial industry veterans.
Get ready for a future where netcode doesn’t have to be an afterthought.