Walmart’s secret cloud gaming service has just been leaked, bringing with it never-before-seen details about Project Storm. Despite the ongoing Epic vs. Apple court battle, plenty of secret information is seeing the light of day for the first time. What started as Epic Games’ attempt at fighting against Apple’s alleged monopoly over the iOS store has now become a tell-all, leaking secrets from all over the gaming industry. The latest leak revealed the previously unannounced cloud gaming service being developed by Walmart. Though the pandemic has slowed its development, gamers are getting excited about Walmart’s potentially cheap and widely accessible installment in the cloud gaming sector.
Cloud gaming is becoming a huge deal, with Xbox temporarily dominating the space. With hundreds of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate games available to play across multiple devices, both Apple and Android users are turning to Microsoft’s mobile gaming entry. Walmart, however, might be giving the tech conglomerate a run for its money with its cloud gaming service codenamed Project Storm.
According to The Verge, Walmart was in the processing of building a foundation for its cloud gaming service. A recent leak during the Epic vs. Apple case revealed the service after confidential emails surfaced. Epic Games co-founder Mark Rein reportedly tested the service, claiming he “played Walmart’s demo on an Android phone (with an Xbox controller).” The experience was similar to that of a PS4, and was “superior to playing on Android or iOS.”
Walmart was supposedly planning to sell a phone clip that attached to a controller for a low price, which was claimed to be around $2. Walmart pitched to Epic Games along with other game publishers and was allegedly going to support most of the popular third-party game launchers from Steam to the Epic Games Store. The service was being built with accessibility in mind, with developer tools, third-party integration, and the ability to play on any device. A presentation sent via email to Epic Games claimed that Project Storm would have an intuitive customer experience, bringing a wide variety of content to players.
Ultimately, the service would have a subscription service, just like many of the cloud gaming services out there today. However, the price model is unknown. Walmart’s Project Storm was set to launch into a beta period back in July 2019, but that never happened. Instead, the service was delayed due to the pandemic. It is one of many leaks from the Epic vs. Apple court battle but is definitely one of the most exciting.
It’s likely that Walmart’s cloud gaming service will be on the lower end of the price spectrum – if it ever comes out. Walmart is known for its slogan: Save Money. Live Better. Perhaps the company is hard at work completing its entry into the gaming industry, or perhaps it scrapped the project entirely. A Walmart and Epic Games team-up would be cool, though. Hopefully, players see this as a cheaper option to Microsoft’s cloud gaming service, with new features that bring ingenuity and accessibility to the world of cloud gaming.
Source: The Verge