These days, developers are looking for any solution to offset the increasing costs of video game development. Sometimes, this takes the form of downloadable content (DLC) and online passes, a barrier to those who buy used games. For Nextpeer, the answer is found in multiplayer tournaments, even if the game was built only as a single-player experience.
[aditude-amp id="flyingcarpet" targeting='{"env":"staging","page_type":"article","post_id":494577,"post_type":"story","post_chan":"none","tags":null,"ai":false,"category":"none","all_categories":"games,","session":"C"}']The Israel-based company hopes to become one of the leading platforms for social multiplayer gaming through its Nextpeer software development kit (SDK). The SDK was created to streamline the integration process for developers, which includes adding virtual currency (for games that don’t have any existing currency to work with), a player invitation and tournament system, and eventually cross-platform compatibility. Nextpeer says that this can be “achieved in under 10 lines of code.”
In these tournaments, players can face their friends or strangers (based on level and experience points) online and buy in with a certain amount of in-game currency. These tournaments are based on different parameters that each developer sets for his game, such as building around a specific level or emphasizing a high-score competition. The casino-style structure of these tournaments allows players to win or lose their virtual currency based solely on their skills.
Developers are in control of customizing the “rake,” a specific coin rate charged for each tournament played. Further customization options, like daily bonuses and tournament limits via the SDK’s dashboard, are also possible. For studios working on iOS devices, changes can be made to the system without resending a new version to Apple for certification.
For its cut, Nextpeer takes 10% of every purchase within the SDK’s dashboard. It earns money “only when the developer does.”
With over 4 million downloads and 700,000 users, the Nextpeer SDK is quickly gaining traction among developers. In the iTunes App Store, 24 games are already using the software, including Pixowl’s Safari Party, Adrenaline Monki’s Mooniz, and Bengigi Studio’s Noogra Nuts.