GDC: GameSpy Updates Technology

Community and digital distribution services provider GameSpy is adding new features to its technology offering aimed at offering developers and publishers better multiplayer functionality. The company is adding Direct2Game, an in-game downloadable content engine that allows developers to implement DLC and content updates in-game. At the same time, GameSpy expands its cataloging functionality and extensible item data. It works with the same billing and customer support infrastructure behind GameSpy's Direct2Drive digital distribution service. Also among the updates is a new rich media and content sharing feature, that lets players capture and share both user-generated and game-generated content, creating and interacting in social screenshot galleries. New team management features let developers better integrate guild and clan play, implementing features that let players organize and track group progress stats accessible both in-game and on the web. "Buddies of Buddies" lets developers build in social networks within their games via an update to the existing Presence service -- players can expose buddy lists to members of the community and more easily find other playmates. In particular, developers building titles on multiple platforms can use a single API wrapper to place PlayStation Network buddy list functionality into their games. Finally, a new "Automatic Connection Establishment" feature is designed to offer players better connectivity with less up-front effort by updating the matchmaking process with automatic NAT negotiation. "The latest updates that we are bringing to the table allow us to continue to give developers and publishers the leading-edge online functionality and services that they need most to make their games successful in an increasingly competitive market," says consumer products and technology SVP Jamie Berger.