LESS T_T
Arcane
- Joined
- Oct 5, 2012
- Messages
- 13,582
While there's Epic Games making noise with a new download-based game store, you may also noticed giant tech companies are preparing for the next war of gaming platforms: streaming and/or subscription based game service, aka the Netflix of gaming.
Here's a recent report about Amazon: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/artic...dly-developing-its-own-game-streaming-service
Conveniently 2020 is the year people expecting the next generation of consoles arrive. Microsoft is reportedly working on a streaming-only console (alongside a more traditional console) like the above report mentioned, and Sony probably is finding ways to make PSN/PS Now relevant in this war.
Also it would be not surprising if Valve also is preparing for streaming and/or subscription options for Steam.
(Oh about EA, they have dreams of becoming a platform holder with Origin and also preparing for a streaming service. Subscription service is already there.)
So what does this mean for us? Will this make more niche games viable? How niche it could be? Will this accelerate "popmolization" of mainstream games? (One thing is sure, since it will be so easy to pick up and try games, games will focus on making strong impression in the first hours even more than they do now.)
If this streaming thing fly, will premium, buy-to-"own" games be obsolete? I don't think so, at least not in the foreseeable future. I think games still have more benefits to own, and there are more people want and need to "own" games than music and video.
Personally I find streaming has a good potential to be a sampling stand, that you can try various games without downloading and installing gigabytes of data before you decide to buy them to own. I hope Steam or something provides an hour or something streaming demo for every games for free. But I doubt it.
(Makes me wonder if gaming version of illegal movie/TV show streaming sites will ever be viable. I guess hosted browser based emulators are closer to that, although they're not streaming in this sense.)
Here's a recent report about Amazon: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/artic...dly-developing-its-own-game-streaming-service
Amazon reportedly developing its own game streaming service
Company already in talks with publishers, but service wouldn't be ready until 2020 at the earliest
Amazon may have joined Google and Microsoft in development of a game streaming service that would purportedly allow users to ditch physical discs and downloads and simply play games by streaming them over the internet, according to a recent report.
Two people in the know spoke to The Information about Amazon's ambitions to begin its own service for streaming gameplay online, which reportedly wouldn't be available until 2020 at the earliest. However, Amazon is already apparently in talks with publishers about possible titles that would be distributed as a part of the service.
In March of last year, Amazon launched GameOn as a cloud-based tool to streamline the process of developers adding leaderboards, leagues, other competitions, and real-world prizes to their games.
Should such a service come to fruition, Amazon wouldn't be alone or necessarily at the forefront of such technology. Microsoft in particular has been the subject of such conversation throughout 2018, with reports of it developing a streaming-only console for debut in 2020 and the far more concrete announcement of its Project xCloud service dropping in October of last year.
Meanwhile, Google did a trial run of its still fairly quiet streaming service back in October with Assassin's Creed Odyssey in partnership with Ubisoft.
Conveniently 2020 is the year people expecting the next generation of consoles arrive. Microsoft is reportedly working on a streaming-only console (alongside a more traditional console) like the above report mentioned, and Sony probably is finding ways to make PSN/PS Now relevant in this war.
Also it would be not surprising if Valve also is preparing for streaming and/or subscription options for Steam.
(Oh about EA, they have dreams of becoming a platform holder with Origin and also preparing for a streaming service. Subscription service is already there.)
So what does this mean for us? Will this make more niche games viable? How niche it could be? Will this accelerate "popmolization" of mainstream games? (One thing is sure, since it will be so easy to pick up and try games, games will focus on making strong impression in the first hours even more than they do now.)
If this streaming thing fly, will premium, buy-to-"own" games be obsolete? I don't think so, at least not in the foreseeable future. I think games still have more benefits to own, and there are more people want and need to "own" games than music and video.
Personally I find streaming has a good potential to be a sampling stand, that you can try various games without downloading and installing gigabytes of data before you decide to buy them to own. I hope Steam or something provides an hour or something streaming demo for every games for free. But I doubt it.
(Makes me wonder if gaming version of illegal movie/TV show streaming sites will ever be viable. I guess hosted browser based emulators are closer to that, although they're not streaming in this sense.)