Microsoft acquires PlayFab, a company that offers a platform and tools for cloud-connected game developers, and plans to leverage synergies with Azure. Microsoft disclosed its plan to buy PlayFab on January 29, its second acquisition of calendar 2018.
PlayFab’s tools are built for development of cloud-connected games and Microsoft is looking to leverage these tools. Kareem Choudhry, Corporate Vice President of Gaming at Microsoft shared that this will benefit the work they have done on Microsoft Azure to provide a world-class cloud platform for the gaming industry.
Although Microsoft has been stepping up its focus on the enterprise, the company is also investing more heavily than ever in the gaming space. Recently, officials said that Microsoft could launch a streaming gaming service on Azure some time in the next couple of years.
About PlayFab
Seattle-based PlayFab was founded four years ago. One of PlayFab’s advisors is Hadi Partovi, who formerly was Microsoft Group Program Manager for Internet Explorer. Partovi also cofouned Tellme Networks, which Microsoft later acquired, and ran the MSN portal. PlayFab current serves more than 700 million gamers and is used as the back end for more than 1,200 games. Its customers include Disney, Rovio and Atari, Microsoft officials said.
