Ever wonder why games have dedicated servers for FPS, how much client and non-client code is needed to achieve such a goal, and what the infrastructure requirements are?

Here is your chance to see how Gears of War 3 conquered the problem. This presentation will give a holistic overview of the dedicated servers that were hosted in multiple datacenters. The topics will start with factors that impact engineering decisions like cost and latency, then journey on to cover the changes necessary for client and code infrastructure when hosting over 1000 servers. Finally, the pros and cons of each step taken by Epic and Microsoft will be discussed from early prototyping to passing certification. You will walk away armed with data and lessons which should help you successfully launch dedicated servers in your game.