For years now, the gaming industry has been on the cutting edge of technology. What was once a niche hobby for computer nerds has become a multi-billion dollar industry, with PWC forecasting it will reach $321 billion by 2026.
As the industry has grown, so too has the need for more efficient ways to develop and release games. One of the most important recent innovations in game development has been the use of cloud databases, like how Xbox expanded their Xbox Game Pass Ultimate with cloud gaming.
Before its Time
Cloud gaming technology has been around since the 2000s. Finnish start-up G-Cluster was the first to showcase a cloud gaming model at E3 in 2003. Crytek then had explored the technology for the video game Crysis, but discontinued development due to limited bandwidth.
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OnLive and Gaikai followed suit by launching cloud gaming services in 2010 and 2011 respectively, both featuring improvements in data and video compression. These platforms offered games like Borderlands, Mass Effect 2, and Dead Space 2.
Sony acquired Gaikai the following year, and this merger laid the foundation for PlayStation Now, the first cloud gaming service from a console company. The next decade saw big names in the gaming industry offering services in the cloud: Apple, Nvidia, Nintendo, Ubisoft, and many more.
Server-Side
The technology behind cloud gaming is based on server-side rendering. In other words, the game is run on a remote server and the player only interacts with it via input device, much like playing a game locally.
The video and audio are compressed and streamed to the player in real-time. The player’s input is then sent back to the server, where it is processed, and the next frame is rendered.
As mentioned earlier, cloud technology offers developers an easier route to release games. Today’s video games not only come in GB sizes, but often also require high-end consoles or PCs to fully enjoy them. The cloud eliminates that barrier and allows players to access the latest games without having to buy the latest console or PC.
Behind-the-Scenes Benefits
Cloud computing also provides benefits on the backend. Typically, developers have to create different versions of their games for different platforms. For example, a game on a PlayStation 5 would not work in the same way on a Nintendo Switch
This is a time-consuming and expensive process, so gaming companies usually have separate release dates for each platform. But with cloud technology available, developers can simultaneously release their games on multiple platforms.
Another significant benefit of the cloud is the ability to scale. For instance, cloud databases like MongoDB feature more flexible schema than traditional databases, which are particularly useful for video games that often require updates and patches.
Lucid Sight, developer of MLB Champions, even comments that “changes are quite frequent and relying on rigid schema is not practical in the gaming world.”
Charted Waters
Lastly, cloud services eliminate the risk of piracy, since games in the cloud do not have a physical existence. Piracy has always been a serious problem in the gaming industry. A GameRant report showed that Pokémon Diamond and Pearl holds the record for being the most pirated games with over 5.4 million illegal copies. It is speculated that Nintendo lost over billions of dollars in sales because of this.
Admittedly, cloud gaming still occupies a small piece of the pie in the gaming world. The technology is still in its early stages, and there are kinks (such as performance issues) that must be worked out. But it’s undeniable that cloud gaming holds a lot of potential and could revolutionize the way we play games.