During the sixth edition of The Game Awards, Reggie Fils-Aimé, former Nintendo of America president, talked about how cloud gaming will change the industry in the next decade. Several video game companies are already investing in cloud gaming in order to take advantage of new revenue opportunities.
While Google Stadia hasn't achieved the expected success yet, there are already plenty of companies ready to compete with the internet giant in the field of cloud gaming. Last November Steam Database, a third-party organization focused on providing insight about Steam apps and data, revealed that Valve was working at a Steam Cloud Gaming project. Additionally, the hardware company Razer partnered with Tencent Cloud, to create a better cloud gaming experience in the near future. A recent patent suggests that even Microsoft is planning to cash in on the trend, developing detachable controllers for smartphones.
The Hollywood Reporter disclosed that, on the Game Awards red carpet, Fils-Aimé attributed the success of his former company to advances in the game streaming technology. He stated that, as downloads become faster, he can definitely see a future where people will be able to play any game on whatever device they have. However, he warned gamers that the change will not happen overnight, but it will likely take place over the next decade. As Fils-Aimé said, cloud gaming will become "something that's really meaningful for players."
This is not the first time that a veteran figure in the industry commented positively on the future of cloud-based video games. Ken Moss, Chief Technology Officer at EA, recently stated that cloud-based technologies would bring a billion of new customers in the gaming world. While the technology has not reached its full potential yet, Moss clearly wants its company to be at the forefront of this new segment of the industry.
Undoubtedly, cloud-based gaming will attract new audiences because it will remove the need to invest in a console, allowing the players to enjoy new games on the device they already have. This will likely be appealing for busy adults who don't spend enough time playing to justify buying a console, and for youngsters who would likely play from their smartphones. However, Google Stadia clearly demonstrated that the game streaming technology still needs several improvements. Hopefully, future developments will make the cloud gaming experience better and better.
Source: THR