Resolved Game Server Hosting for Player-Owned Servers

Does Unity offer a service similar to Minecraft Realms? I've read the Multiplay documentation but it seems to be more tailored for competitive short burst matches where the developer covers the server costs. It doesn't seem to be suitable for long-running player-owned dedicated servers like Realms, at least according to the documentation. Please correct me if I'm mistaken.

To clarify, I'm referring to services such as:

• Host Havoc (https://hosthavoc.com/)
• Nitrado (https://server.nitrado.net/)
• Minecraft Realms (https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/realms)

I'm not talking about developer-owned servers for matchmaking and competitive play. If Multiplay is not capable of this, I'd like to request a new feature to Unity's expanding Gaming Services portfolio... player-owned servers. Preferably something that comes with APIs for save storage, save backup, save download, and starting/restarting/stopping the server (Multiplay already comes with some of these features).

Here are the benefits I can think of for a service like this:

• From the developers' perspective, we can integrate the creation of player-owned dedicated servers directly into our game, similar to how Minecraft does it for Realms. This would provide developers who continuously update their games (e.g., 7 Days to Die, The Forest, Valheim) with an additional monetization method, apart from the upfront purchase of the game.
• For Unity, since players would be responsible for covering the server costs, developers would be more inclined to integrate such a system into their games, resulting in increased revenue for the company. Most indie developers shy away from using something like Multiplay due to cost concerns, but with this feature, they can earn revenue by launching servers, which should serve as sufficient motivation.
• For consumers, this makes it incredibly convenient, as they can launch servers directly from the game itself. They wouldn't have to venture beyond the game to search for server hosting and struggle with understanding hosting-specific documentation. Essentially, it lowers the barrier of entry for casual users.

In summary, everyone benefits from this proposal: developers win, Unity wins, and consumers win. It presents a promising business opportunity, doesn't it?

 

Ohh interesting. I glossed over the Allocation TTL docs thinking it wasn't meant for month-long sessions. Is there any guarantee that a server lasts exactly for 1 month when the TTL is set that duration? I was under the impression that Multiplay is running on Spot instances with no guarantee for long running sessions.

I watched the entire video and there were a lot of interesting tech there! That Realm service looks like a fit for what I need (minus the multizone support). I think it just needs a consumer-facing server rental support

Already outside the scope of this Dev Blitz but if Unity were to offer a consumer-facing server rental service as seamless as possible, then I think a native payment gateway similar to Xsolla would be needed (something owned by Unity). I don't think it is practical to go through storefront payment methods (Steam, Apple, Google, etc) due to 30% revenue share. Especially since WebGPU support is coming to Unity which I think has massive potential of getting developers out from reliance on stores like Steam and get 100% of the revenue. We just need some payment system deeply integrated with Unity services

Technically, developers would still be the ones selling the service as they need to integrate it into their games. And I was hoping to make it an additional monetization method. For example, if Unity sells a single server for $15 then I would just charge $20 and pocket the $5

I think there is big potential in this space though as based on my research, there is currently no product like this on the market (or at least something I don't need to build cloud infrastructure myself). But I understand building something like this is a massive amount of work plus it looks like the Game Services team is already swamped with work for the new features. So this is more just a suggestion haha. I'm already planning on contacting some server hosting services if they can expose their APIs for game integration (for insurance).

Disclaimer: I'm working on a multiplayer game right now but I currently don't need a service like this. Just an idea that popped into my mind.

 

As of my last knowledge update, Unity did not offer a service similar to

• Host Havoc (https://hosthavoc.com/)
• Nitrado (https://server.nitrado.net/)
• Games Fozzy (https://games.fozzy.com/)
  
• Minecraft Realms (https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/realms)

or the other hosting services you mentioned. Unity's Multiplay service was primarily geared towards competitive short burst matches, as you mentioned, and may not have been suitable for long-running player-owned dedicated servers.
However, your proposal for a service that allows developers to integrate player-owned dedicated servers directly into their games with features like save storage, save backup, save download, and server management sounds promising. It could indeed provide developers with an additional monetization method and lower the barrier of entry for casual users.

Since my information is not up to date, I recommend checking the official Unity website or reaching out to Unity directly to see if they have introduced any new services or features that align with your proposal since my last update in September 2021. Unity frequently updates its offerings, so there may have been developments in this area that I am not aware of.