Amazon appears to be the next company to want a piece of the video game streaming service pie. This may not come as too surprising as Amazon owns the biggest game streaming platform in Twitch. First reported by The Information, the massive company is already in the midst of developing their own video game streaming service according to two people knowledgeable with the company’s plans. Thus, Amazon is set to join Microsoft and Google with plans to enter the forefront of the cloud-based, video game streaming service space.
This streaming service from Amazon isn’t suppose to launch until next year at the absolute earliest. However, the company is apparently already in talks with publishers about bringing their games to the platform once it does launch. Amazon’s video game streaming service will share similarities with Microsoft’s and Google’s cloud-based services.
Much like its competitors, Amazon looks to eliminate the need for expensive hardware for players to experience the most demanding of games. To achieve this, like its rivals, Amazon plans to have “games run on powerful computers inside data centers.” This will allow for the company’s games to stream on a variety of less powerful devices including smartphones, tablets, and smart TVs.
Video game streaming services have been touted to be the future of video games for a while now. Last year, Microsoft announced Project xCloud, which will allow Xbox games to be streamed and played on any device. Google also announced and tested their streaming service Project Stream last year with Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Odyssey serving as the service’s test bed. Sony first entered the streaming space with PlayStation Now after purchasing the streaming service Gaikai in 2012, and even Nintendo has been dabbling with video game streaming in Japan. The company partnered with Capcom and Ubisoft to release cloud versions of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey in the country respectively. It will be interesting to see how Amazon fares in what is sure to be a highly competitive space in the future.