Improbable's SpatialOS technology gives developers "the ability to define and build simulated worlds which can accommodate thousands of simultaneous players". Bossa Studios' incoming MMO Worlds Adrift and Spilt Milk's multiplayer roguelike Lazarus are but a couple of examples which currently utilise the tech—which Improbable made free to qualified game developers last year.
Now, Improbable has announced a partnership with RuneScape developer Jagex which will see the latter "deploy SpatialOS in the development of new projects."
Said to let devs exceed the limits of a single server or game engine, SpatialOS in essence leverages the cloud to allow hundreds of game engines to work together and create something "larger, richer, and with more players than any single one could." This in turn means in-world objects can persist indefinitely.
"Rather than having to build server infrastructure, a developer can deploy their project to the SpatialOS Platform with a handful of CLI commands, minutes after starting it, and begin sharing with others," Improbable explains in a statement. "This allows for an online game world to be built and iterated rapidly in the presence of players.
"A game developer can spend their time on what they want to do: creating and growing their game world and its story, rather than building and maintaining server infrastructure. Developers can create massive, ambitious games with far smaller teams."
So, is this news related to Jagex's 'Next Gen' mishap that occurred earlier this week? Possibly, however the developer is for now keeping its cards close to its chest. Acting CEO Phil Mansell did however say this of the Improbable partnership:
"As a studio, we have online gaming at heart and we’ve always looked for technology that can help to deliver the best possible experience for our players. We’re looking forward to working with Improbable and discovering the advancements the SpatialOS platform can bring to multiplayer gaming."
