The ID@Azure program was originally launched in December as an invitation-only closed beta program. As of today, it’s generally available. Microsoft’s xCloud game-streaming service runs on Azure. Game developers, including Microsoft itself, already have access to Bing Maps, Microsoft Mesh, Bing Maps, Azure AI, PlayFab developer services, and other Microsoft cloud technologies for building and maintaining their games. In turn, all the work game developers do on Azure “informs and accelerates cloud computing,” officials have said. In 2019, Microsoft announced the Microsoft Game Stack – a collection of cloud services like Azure, Power BI, PlayFab, Mixer and Xbox Live, plus various development tools – which it has been marketing to game devs. Microsoft bought PlayFab, a tool vendor for cloud-connected games, in 2018.
