Google Play Game Services Gets New Publishing API, Updated Unity Plugin, and Leaderboard Tamper Protection

The Google Play games services (GPGS) has announced several new developer tools including a new Game Services Publishing API, a revamped Unity Plugin, additional enhancements to the C++ SDK, and improved Leaderboard Tamper Protection.

At Google I/O this past June, Google Play Developer Publishing APIs were launched to automate the configuration and publishing of applications to the Play store. Game developers now have access to the new Google Play game services Publishing API to automate the configuration and publishing of game services resources, starting with achievements and leaderboards.

For example, to publish a game in multiple languages, the game services Publishing API will enable the ability to pull translation data from spreadsheets, CSVs, or a Content Management System (CMS) and automatically apply those translations to achievements.

Updated Unity Plugin saved games support allows developers to take advantage of the saved games feature directly from the Unity Plugin, with more storage and greater discoverability through the Play Games app. A new Unity Plugin architecture has been created as the Google Play team has rewritten the Plugin on top of their cross-platform C++ SDK to speed up feature development across SDKs and increase responsiveness to feedback.

Developers will have access to an improved Unity generated Xcode project setup with a more robust way to generate Xcode projects integrated with Google Play Game Services in Unity. There are also updated and improved Unity sample codes to make it easier for first time developers to integrate Google Play games services.

The Leaderboard Tamper Protection provides developers with the ability to automatically hide suspected tampered scores from leaderboards. To enable tamper protection on an existing leaderboard, developers can go to the leaderboard in the Google Play developer console and flip the “Leaderboard tamper protection” toggle to on. Tamper protection will be on by default for new leaderboards.

To learn more, visit the Google Play developer portal.