Google is partnering with Unity on a dedicated ‘Android Game SDK’ project with the goal of improving game development efficiency.
Android is the most popular mobile operating system in the world, so it’s little surprise many game developers want to put their work in front of its audience. Google is more than happy to oblige and continues to find ways to invest in Android game development.
The project itself is based on the Android NDK and implements the Vulkan cross-platform graphics API which promises low overheads and ‘bare metal’ performance.
Currently, what’s available in the public view is limited. One library, Swappy, uses Vulkan and provides granular control over things such as the swap interval.
There’s a clear focus on improving Unity 3D’s performance on Android. A sample here is for use by Unity.
A commit found by 9to5Google shows Google intends for the output of the sample to be included in “the Unity source tree.” The publication notes a collaboration between Google and Unity is likely due to Unity 3D being mostly closed source.
Google and Unity have a history of working together. Back in 2016, Unity CEO John Riccitiello appeared on stage at Google I/O 2016 to help demonstrate Daydream VR.
With some manufacturers now creating Android phones specifically designed for gaming – featuring 120hz displays, large batteries, and high-performance audio – it’s clear Google wants to ensure game development on the platform continues to flourish.
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