Multi-Platform

  • All Subpages
  • Create New

    "Coming this summer -- on every platform ever made."

    Any software program, particularly a Video Game, that is simultaneously developed and (usually) simultaneously released for more than one system.

    Functionally, multiplatform games differ from port in that the game was written with the other systems in mind even during initial development.

    The time and effort to make a multiplatform game is not as great as some assume. Some developers have stated that it raises the cost only about 10 percent. This can vary quite a bit depending on how different the systems in question are. For instance, the Xbox and PC versions of Sands of Time are quite similar, the iPhone and PS3 versions of The Force Unleashed are quite a bit different. The use of Game Engines such as Unreal Engine, Unity, or Godot often simplify this process. Even current versions of genre specific engines such as Ren'Py or RPG Maker can export to multiple computer platforms, sometimes including web and phone platforms as well.

    This really became popular with developers in the 6th console generation. Even though the PlayStation 2 was in the lead, games on the Xbox, Game Cube, and Windows still sold well enough to ensure an even bigger profit than on the PS2 alone for very little extra development. This was even carried to the point of the wildly popular Game Boy Advance receiving "ports" of set-top titles!

    With the cost of video game development being even higher with "high definition systems", this trope is more popular than ever. Series that used to be at least timed-exclusive are now going multi-platform. The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and Series S concentrate more on graphics than the Nintendo Switch. The result is often the Switch version receiving some adaptations for less powerful hardware, the use of cloud streaming for Switch (Precluding most mobile use), or simply ignoring the platform. Another approach is to simply avoid using bleeding edge graphics in the first place, allowing for an essentially identical release on smartphones and tablets, all major consoles, and all major computer operating systems.

    On the PC side of things, some games are literally multiplatform, with the versions for different platforms (say, Windows, Macintosh, and Linux) all on the same physical media (sometimes called a "hybrid" release.) Even more common is the use of a platform such as Steam, hosting all versions of a title and simply downloading the one appropriate for the system being used. This is Older Than the NES in PC-land; in the days of 5.25" floppy disks, some games were released with a version for one computer (for example, the Commodore 64) on one side, and a version for another (Apple II, IBM PC, or Atari 8-bit) on the other. Obviously, this sort of thing doesn't fly in console-land, due to dictatorial fiat console companies have over developers (possibly carried over from the days of carts, when it was physically impossible.)

    In the 2020s, multi platform releases are the norm for most traditional games in some way. The inverse of this is a console or platform exclusive, which is typically done to promote a platform, or to leverage unique hardware a platform might have.

    Keep in mind the difference between this and a port. If a game was made for one system first, any version past that is a port or remake, like Tetris.

    It also doesn't count if the series has many different versions on each system, like Dance Dance Revolution or the Tales (series).

    Compare Cash Cow Franchise.

    Releases among series that usually develop for one system:
    Series notable for being Multi-Platform (at least recently):
    This article is issued from All The Tropes. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.