Google has unveiled Playground, an experimental platform in the United States that lets users create games using only text instructions. It also announced that a new product, Unity Spark, is planned for launch by year-end under a strategic partnership with Unity Technologies.
Google has launched Playground, an experimental browser-based game creation platform for users aged 18 and over in the United States. No conventional coding is required: users can create, test and share games by changing game elements through text instructions alone. Created games can be shared by link or published in a gallery, and options are available to control their visibility.
Playground can apply text instructions to changes in physics, rules, characters and environments, and games can be played on devices including iPhones and PCs. Some genres support leaderboards and multiplayer, while Google Play Games profile functions enable users to set a handle and use likes, rankings and follows.
Google announced a strategic partnership with Unity Technologies and plans to launch Unity Spark by year-end as a new product that expands Playground's capabilities. Spark will integrate with Playground and is designed to provide 3D visuals, advanced game mechanics and the flexibility of the Unity runtime, while allowing users to use assets directly from the Asset Store.
Unity's CEO said that although many people worldwide enjoy Unity-made games, few have experience creating their own, and explained that Unity Spark will help democratize game development.