Unreal Engine Live-Service Framework

October 20, 2025 (1w ago)

Platform:
Windows, Linux
Tools:
Go
Kubernetes
Docker
PostgreSQL
Redis
Stripe API
Steamworks
Jenkins
CommonUI
Unreal Engine
Gameplay Ability System

Overview

To support a fast-paced, Warzone-inspired multiplayer title, I architected a robust, scalable live-service platform from the ground up. The core of the project is a distributed backend built on a microservice architecture using Go, designed to manage all critical player-facing metagame systems.

This system provides a persistent, backend-driven experience for players, handling everything from authentication and player progression to cosmetic inventories and monetization. The entire stack is containerized with Docker and managed by Kubernetes, deployed on dedicated VPS servers to ensure a production-grade, scalable, and resilient environment for a live-service game.

Scope

Core Features & Technical Breakdown

1. Live-Service Microservice Architecture

Goal: Create a scalable and maintainable backend capable of handling millions of concurrent users by decoupling core game services.

Implementation: I developed a suite of microservices using Go for high performance and concurrency. Each service operates independently, communicating via lightweight REST APIs and a message bus for asynchronous events. This separation ensures that a failure in one system (like the Store) does not impact critical gameplay services (like Matchmaking or Sessions).

Services Developed:

Why Microservices?

→ Read the full technical deep-dive on the microservice architecture

2. Authentication & Persistent Sessions

Goal: Implement a secure and seamless authentication flow for players on PC, supporting both Steam and direct accounts.

Implementation:

Steam Authentication

Integrated the Steamworks API to authenticate players via their Steam tickets, linking their SteamID to their game account. This provides a frictionless login experience for Steam users.

Custom Authentication

Built a parallel system for non-Steam users with:

Persistent Sessions

Player sessions were designed to be persistent, allowing a player to reconnect to the game or move between services without re-authenticating, providing a smooth user experience.

Security Measures:

→ Read the detailed implementation of the authentication system

3. Real-Time Communication with Unreal Client

Goal: Establish a reliable, low-latency communication channel between the backend services and the Unreal Engine game client.

Implementation:

REST APIs (Go)

Used for most non-time-critical data, such as:

This is ideal for request/response interactions where HTTP's stateless nature is beneficial.

TCP Sockets (Go)

Implemented for real-time, stateful communication. This was critical for services like:

Data needs to be pushed to the client instantly without the overhead of HTTP polling.

Performance Considerations:

→ Deep dive into the REST vs TCP socket architecture

4. Metagame & Monetization Systems

Goal: Design and build the core "metagame" loops that drive long-term player engagement and revenue.

Implementation:

Backend-Driven Progression

All player XP gains, level-ups, and rewards are calculated and validated by the backend progression service, making the system authoritative and cheat-resistant. The client sends match results, but the server validates and calculates the actual rewards.

Features:

Inventory & Cosmetics

Developed a flexible inventory system to manage player entitlements for all virtual items (skins, weapons, charms, etc.). The system supports:

Stripe Payment Integration

Integrated the Stripe API to handle real-money transactions for virtual currency packs. This involved:

Revenue Systems:

→ Complete guide to the metagame and monetization implementation

5. Production Deployment & Infrastructure (DevOps)

Goal: Deploy the entire multi-service stack in a reliable, scalable, and automated fashion for a production-ready environment.

Implementation:

Docker Containerization

Containerized all 6+ Go microservices and their respective databases (PostgreSQL, Redis) to ensure consistent environments from development to production.

Benefits:

Kubernetes Orchestration

Used Kubernetes (K8s) to orchestrate the deployment of all containers on a cluster of dedicated VPS servers. K8s handled:

Infrastructure Highlights:

CI/CD Pipeline

Automated the entire deployment process:

  1. Code pushed to Git
  2. Automated tests run
  3. Docker images built
  4. Images pushed to registry
  5. Kubernetes deployments updated
  6. Health checks verify deployment

→ Full DevOps and Kubernetes deployment guide

Technologies Used

Languages & Frameworks

Backend Architecture

Databases & Caching

Infrastructure & DevOps

Third-Party Integrations

Game Engine Integration

Architecture Diagram

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    Unreal Engine Client                 │
│                  (Player Experience)                    │
└───────────────┬─────────────────┬──────────────────────┘
                │                 │
        REST API│                 │TCP Socket
                │                 │
    ┌───────────▼─────────────────▼──────────────────┐
    │          Kubernetes Ingress/Load Balancer      │
    └───────────┬────────────────────────────────────┘
                │
    ┌───────────▼─────────────────────────────────────┐
    │           Microservices Layer (Go)              │
    ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
    │ ┌─────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────────────┐  │
    │ │  Auth   │ │  Player  │ │   Progression    │  │
    │ │ Service │ │   Data   │ │     Service      │  │
    │ └────┬────┘ └────┬─────┘ └────────┬─────────┘  │
    │      │           │                 │            │
    │ ┌────▼──────┐ ┌─▼─────────┐ ┌────▼─────────┐  │
    │ │ Inventory │ │   Store   │ │ Matchmaking  │  │
    │ │  Service  │ │  Service  │ │   Service    │  │
    │ └───────────┘ └───────────┘ └──────────────┘  │
    └─────────────────────┬───────────────────────────┘
                          │
    ┌─────────────────────▼───────────────────────────┐
    │         Data Layer (PostgreSQL + Redis)         │
    │  ┌──────────┐  ┌──────────┐  ┌──────────────┐  │
    │  │ Player   │  │ Sessions │  │  Inventory   │  │
    │  │   DB     │  │  Cache   │  │     DB       │  │
    │  └──────────┘  └──────────┘  └──────────────┘  │
    └─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Key Challenges & Solutions

Challenge 1: Database Performance at Scale

Problem: Initial PostgreSQL queries were slow when fetching player inventory with thousands of items.

Solution:

Challenge 2: Service Discovery in Kubernetes

Problem: Services needed to communicate with each other but pod IPs are ephemeral in K8s.

Solution:

Challenge 3: Handling Payment Webhooks Reliably

Problem: Stripe webhooks could fail or be delivered multiple times, risking duplicate currency grants.

Solution:

Results & Learnings

Achievements

✅ Successfully deployed a production-grade live-service backend
✅ Handled concurrent user sessions with <50ms latency for critical operations
✅ Achieved 99.9% uptime through Kubernetes self-healing
✅ Processed secure payments with full audit trail
✅ Zero-downtime deployments for 20+ production releases

What I Learned

Next Steps

Gameplay Screenshot

Technical Blog Posts

For detailed implementation guides on each system:

  1. Microservice Architecture for Live-Service Games
  2. Building Authentication with Steam & JWT
  3. Real-Time Communication: REST vs TCP Sockets
  4. Metagame Systems & Stripe Payment Integration
  5. Deploying Game Backends with Kubernetes

This project represents a year of intensive backend development, demonstrating my ability to architect, build, and deploy complex distributed systems for live-service games.

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