Xbox has proven its dedication to sustainable game development with this first-of-its-kind toolkit.
Feelgood Friday: Xbox Unveil Sustainable Game Development Toolkit at GDC 2023
Written by Ollie Bradley at 03/24/2023, 03:39 AM
The annual Game Developers Conference is underway, featuring a who's-who of the industry's biggest names looking towards the future of gaming. And for Xbox, a bonafide good guy of the industry, the future of gaming is greener than ever, as they revealed the first-ever tools to help maximize sustainable game development.
While the big reveals of GDC aren't as rife with pomp and ceremony as those we used to see at E3, they're certainly no less exciting. Unity, for instance, revealed how they will be embracing AI, while Epic Games unveiled some astounding new updates for Unreal Engine. In fact, perhaps one of the more humdrum reveals was the winner of the Game Developers Choice Awards. Yes, it was Elden Ring.
But Microsoft's dedication to a future of sustainable game development was the announcement that caught our eye. The company unveiled a new set of tools - the first of their kind - which are specifically designed to help Xbox creators reduce their carbon footprint as much as possible when developing their games. And the real kicker is that there will be no cost to quality.
The toolkit essentially functions to help developers make more sustainable decisions when developing their games. Which is something that developers already consider as they try to make their games more efficient. Flashy graphics are great, but nobody enjoys feeling that their console could explode at any minute.
The good news for players - aside from cheaper energy bills, of course - is that these tools will only suggest trimming things down during the development process "when possible". Meaning the changes will be practically imperceptible to the player.
An example given was how Halo Infinite developer 343 Industries lowered the resolution of the background image within the pause menu, which was initially being fully rendered in 4K at a time when players are least likely to be focussed on it.
All of this has come at a time when Microsoft is doubling down on its sustainability practices. And it's great to see the console associated with the color green really living up to its branding.