How Magic Media Builds Bold Multiplayer Worlds with Photon Engine
This guest-blog was written and provided by Magic Media.
At Magic Media, we don’t just build games, we build experiences that connect, excite and evolve in real time. As the demands of modern multiplayer development continue to rise, so too does the need for powerful, flexible and dependable networking solutions. And that’s why we use Photon Engine.
Our experienced team at Magic Media has leaned on Photon’s advanced tools and dedicated solutions to bring ambitious gaming projects to life for our partners. And so, we have curated a list of our top 7 learnings and successes thanks to Photon Engine.
Overcoming Massive-Scale Challenges
When working on Coloniser, with up to 15,000 combat units and thousands more in player-built structures, NPCs and AI-driven events, the game demanded an architecture that could handle enormous amounts of live data. Photon Fusion’s flexible interest management system helped us send only the most relevant data to players, evolving it as needed for features like in-game diplomacy where players need visibility of allied units.
Optimization & Performance
We also dove deep into low-level packet optimization on Coloniser, implementing delta transmission and bit-level operations to minimize bandwidth usage. Fusion’s flexibility allowed us to fine-tune our server tick rate to match RTS gameplay needs, running at just 16 FPS to balance performance and responsiveness, all while maintaining smooth gameplay feel throughout client-side prediction.
Seamless Deployment, Smarter Hosting
Photon’s support for Unity headless servers has given us unprecedented control on gaming projects like Coloniser. We are able to deploy servers on Windows, Linux on cloud or bare-metal solutions, using custom configurations and real-time analytics integrations. Fusion’s streamlined game-state system also enables cost-efficient save states, letting us pause inactive servers and restore them instantly when players return, hosting multiple persistent game worlds within minimal infrastructure.
Determinism at the Core
One of the hardest aspects of competitive online play is maintaining determinism. This ensured the game behaves identically across all clients. With Photon Quantum’s fixed-point math, rollback systems and deterministic architecture, we were able to guarantee fairness while maintaining a crisp, responsive game feel when working on the gaming title, MixMob. A real-time multiplayer racing card game with deterministic gameplay and blockchain integration, accessible across a global player base.
A standout moment came during the fine-tuning of card-play timing, a critical factor that defined the entire feel of MixMob. Thanks to Photon’s runtime tuning tools and regional server options, we found the sweet spot between global latency variations and world-wide identical gameplay feel.
Built-In Anti-Cheat and Secure Blockchain Integration
Photon Quantum’s architecture enabled powerful anti-cheating measures through synchronized states, rollback validation and checksums. With C# server-side plugin extensions, we have been able to securely connect match results to the blockchain without exposing endpoints to unauthorized access. Thus ensuring fair rewards and preventing exploits.
Tuning for Every Region and Device
When working on Goombles, a real-time multiplayer action game, we were able to optimize the game for regional performance, allowing us to configure different networking settings per region in order to deliver consistently smooth gameplay. This resulted in a low-latency, seamless experience no matter where or how players logged in. Quantum’s rollback and prediction features were especially impactful in making Goombles perform beautifully across all platforms, even on mobile networks. This was key for us in building a responsive, fun experience across Android, iOS and desktop.
Efficient Development and Simulation
When developing Moki Pochi, we tackled a unique design challenge: to create a game that works flawlessly in both single-player and multiplayer modes, without having to build two separate codebases. We used the same core gameplay logic for both modes, simply switching configurations to toggle between single and multiplayer. This not only saved us development time, but it also made debugging and testing far more efficient. For balancing and QA, Photon allowed us to simulate thousands of game sessions in minutes using accelerated timing. This made it easier to spot edge cases, test stability and refine gameplay without relying solely on manual QA.
Why We Trust Photon at Magic Media
Photon has consistently empowered us at Magic Media to push boundaries and deliver genre-defying multiplayer experiences. Its suite of tools, both Fusion for large-scale simulation and world persistence and Quantum for deterministic logic and a global network infrastructure, makes it a top choice for our studio when tackling our clients’ ambitious online projects.
At Magic Media, we are always open to working with new partners to support them with their Photon implementation. We take ownership and accountability in the work we do, allowing us to seamlessly integrate and drive projects forward with our partners. Reach out to us and we can discuss how to successfully implement Photon engine for your project: https://magicmedia.studio/contact-us/.
About Magic Media
Magic Media is an external game development studio, with an expansive global presence and a cross-functional team of developers, artists, producers and engineers. Our mission is to bring bold ideas to life through collaboration, innovation and technical excellence, by offering a range of services including game co-development, game porting and live services amongst others. For more info visit magicmedia.studio.
Ready to build your own successful multiplayer game? With Fusion and Quantum by Photon, it’s never been easier to integrate cutting-edge multiplayer features into your project. We offer the industry’s most advanced tools, comprehensive support, and everything you need to get started – from downloadable samples to detailed documentation.
Take the first step today – download Fusion or download Quantum and start building. If you’re looking for in-depth assistance, join our Gaming Circle, where you can connect directly with our developers and get expert guidance throughout your journey.
Your multiplayer success story starts here!
Join us on Discord, YouTube, BlueSky, X and LinkedIn – we can’t wait to see what you create!
