With Microsoft really pushing their Azure servers and the cloud-based-processing that we’ve all heard so much about, it looks like one of the first major studios that will be taking advantage of this is none other than 343 Industries. As mentioned in a career opportunity ad seeking a Software Development Engineer in Test, Microsoft recently published the following:
The Halo Game Services team is working on building the next generation of backend services to power the Halo Universe. We are looking for a driven Software Development Engineer in Test with a strong background in testing services. If you are passionate about the technical challenges of testing large scale, real-time services, and you’re looking to join a group of engineers who are pushing the envelope to reinvent the future of entertainment powered by cloud services, then this might be the job for you.
As part of this position, you will own the planning, implementation, and execution of feature areas while collaborating with developer, PM, and producer counterparts across multiple teams within 343 Industries. Your background should include experience testing multiplayer matchmaking, server based applications, cloud services, and consumer experiences. Our team is focused on continuous improvement and fast iteration cycles. The ability to work in a quickly changing environment will be a key to success.
If you want to be on the forefront of gaming as a service then this is the team for you. The team is currently working on some new and exciting features and we need your help. Come help us reshape gaming!
It looks as though 343 Industries plans to dive head first into the “power of the cloud” and they have some interesting new features in the works. Of the interesting element is the mention above, “gaming as a service” is probably one worth taking note of. The term is normally used in two contexts. One is streaming games or parts of them directly to your console from the cloud like PlayStation Now plans to do, while the other indicates monetization of services offered within a game with subscriptions or similar initiatives.
For now we’ll have to wait and see how this will work exactly for the next installment of the Halo franchise, but my curiosity is certainly piqued! What about you? Do you believe in the the power of the cloud?! Or are you wanting to see some proof before even considering cloud-based services and experiences? Let us know!
[via, Microsoft]
