Multiplayer game development: connected, real-time games designed in Corsica
Multiplayer game development means building a game where several people share the same session, each on their own screen, with every action appearing in real time for all participants. In Bastia, we create party games on phones, online games and shared big-screen experiences, such as our role-playing game Tantale.
Connected and real-time games: how do they work?
In a multiplayer game, every participant must see the same game at the same moment. That is the job of the multiplayer server: a program hosted online that receives each player's actions, applies the rules of the game and sends the new state of play back to everyone. We speak of a real-time game when that round trip is fast enough to feel instant.
There are two broad families. Living-room games bring players together in one place: each person uses their phone as a controller or private screen, while a TV or projector shows the shared scene. Online games connect players wherever they are, for a single session or in a persistent world, meaning one that carries on between two visits.
In both cases, players usually have nothing to install: the game opens in the phone's browser from a link or a QR code.
Tantale, a party game on phones for 3 to 6 players
Tantale is our connected role-playing game, designed to be played at home. The game master pilots the ship from a console, each player uses their phone as an on-board terminal, and the TV shows maps, surveillance cameras and live events. It all runs on Node.js, a PWA and real-time synchronisation.
This project confronted us with the real challenges of a connected game: getting screens with different roles to work together, separating secret information shown on a phone from what is shared on the TV, and letting a player pick up where they left off when their phone goes to sleep.
Our Hameau Vivant simulation illustrates the other family: a persistent online world, displayed in 3D with Three.js, whose villagers are driven by a large language model (LLM), an AI that generates their reactions according to the situation.
Examples of multiplayer games for the public, businesses and events
- 01
Party games and digital board games
A social or detective game where each phone keeps its owner's cards secret and the TV acts as the shared board.
- 02
Event entertainment
At a trade show, conference or village festival, the audience plays from their phones and follows the results on a big screen.
- 03
Away days and team building
An investigation or collaborative challenge in teams, which requires people to communicate and share out roles.
- 04
Live quiz in a room
Questions on screen, answers given by phone and scores shown live, for a livelier training session or meeting.
- 05
Location-based experience
A trail or puzzle played in groups in a museum, a leisure venue or an escape room, with screens spread around the space.
- 06
Online community game
Matches between distant players or a persistent world, with accounts, progression and moderation tools.
Latency, reconnection, cheating: the challenges of a real-time game
- 01
Latency
This is the delay between a player's action and its appearance on other screens. The game design, meaning the design of the rules and pace, must take it into account: a turn-based game tolerates far more delay than an action game.
- 02
Reconnection
A phone that locks, a signal that drops: the server keeps the state of the game so the player can resume exactly where they were.
- 03
Cheating
Rules are checked by the server, never only on the player's phone, so that no impossible action is accepted.
- 04
Scaling
How many games at once, how many players per game? We size the hosting and load-test it before opening to the public.
- 05
Player interaction
A chat or free-text usernames require moderation, and particular care if minors may be playing.
- 06
On-site network
At an event, a venue's wifi can become saturated. We check the conditions on site and plan a fallback.
The stages of multiplayer game development
You keep a single point of contact from the first conversation to ongoing support, and each stage ends with your approval.
- 01
Understand
Number of players, length of a session, where it is played, available screens, audience, budget: we pin down the experience you are after.
- 02
Design
We write the rules and the role of each screen, then build a playable prototype that we test in groups, in real conditions, before approving the next step with you.
- 03
Build
Development of the server and of each role's interface, testing with many different phones, simulated network drops and simultaneous games.
- 04
Launch and support
Going live, server monitoring, fixes and new content. You receive the game, its documentation and the code according to the rights set out in the contract.
What determines the cost of a multiplayer game
We draw up a detailed quote after a first conversation. These are the factors that matter most.
- 01
Number of roles and screens
A single interface or, as in Tantale, a console, phones and a TV that each display different information.
- 02
Pace of play
A turn-based game is easier to make reliable than an action game where every fraction of a second counts.
- 03
Persistence
One-off sessions or a permanent world with accounts, saves and progression.
- 04
Amount of content
Scenarios, maps, questions and events to write and then balance.
- 05
Expected traffic
The number of simultaneous games determines the hosting and the testing effort.
- 06
Running the game
Monitoring, moderation, updates and support after launch.
Technologies and methods
- Node.js
- TypeScript
- Real time (SSE)
- PWA
- Multi-screen
- Three.js
Frequently asked questions
Do players need to install an app?
No. The game opens in the phone's browser from a link or a QR code. Those who wish can add it to their home screen thanks to the PWA, without going through an app store.
How many players can take part in one game?
That depends on the game more than on the technology. Tantale is designed for 3 to 6 players because its story requires it; an event activity can bring together far more. We size the server to your needs and test it before launch.
What happens if a player loses their connection?
The game is kept on the server. The player reopens the link and gets their place and information back, without interrupting the others.
Can people play remotely rather than in the same room?
Yes, provided it is planned from the design stage. A game built for the living room relies on talking face to face; a remote version must offer other ways to coordinate.
Can you create a connected game for an event in Corsica?
Yes. Being based in Bastia, we can scout the venue beforehand, test the network on site and organise a rehearsal ahead of the day so that everything runs smoothly.