TLTP
\nSANS FRANCISCO
\nSocial networking company Facebook is entering the burgeoning cloud gaming market currently dominated by the likes of Microsoft, Google, Nvidia and Intel.
\nUsers can play games directly in the Facebook mobile app and on its browser, without downloading any new software as they would on app stores such as Android\u2019s Google Play and Apple\u2019s App Store, the company said.
\n\u201cWe have launched several cloud-streamed games in the Facebook app and on the browser \u2026 playable instantly, with no downloads required,\u201d Jason Rubin, vice president of play at Facebook, said.
\n\u201cWe recently had 200,000 people playing our cloud-streamed games per week in limited regions. Cloud game streaming promises to deliver unprecedented access to games across every screen \u2026 we are thrilled to play a part in that future,\u201d he added.
\nCloud games are run on remote servers and streamed directly to a user\u2019s device.
\nFacebook is not spinning off a separate cloud gaming service and will make all cloud-streamed games playable in the same way that users currently play games on its portal, either in its gaming tab or from its news feed, the California-based company said in a blog.
\nThe cloud gaming market is booming and is predicted to generate $585 million in revenue by the end of this year, up from $170m last year, according to a report last month by market research company Newzoo. Revenue will reach $4.8 billion by 2023, the report said.
\nUsers will not need any external gear, hardware or controllers to play cloud-streamed games on Facebook.
\n\u201cYour hands are the controllers since we are launching with native mobile games … and you can play these games with a mouse and keyboard on desktop,\u201d said Mr Rubin, adding that more than 380 million people currently play games each month on Facebook.
\nConsumer appetite for cloud gaming rose rapidly in 2020 with the creation of new platforms such as Apple\u2019s Arcade and Google\u2019s Stadia. Movement restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic also propelled users\u2019 interest, industry experts said.
\n\u201cMuch like every other aspect of our lives, Covid-19 had and is still having a profound impact on cloud gaming \u2026 there has been a reignited passion for gaming during these trying times,\u201d Guilherme Fernandes, market consultant at Amsterdam-based Newzoo, said.
\nCloud gaming allows for high-fidelity game experiences without expensive hardware, he added.
\nPublishers and developers working with Facebook on cloud gaming include 2K, FunPlus, Gameloft, Glu Mobile, Gram Games, Rovio, and Wildlife Studios.
\nInitially, this service is being offered in different parts of the US but the social media giant is planning on a wider roll out to other countries next year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TLTP SANS FRANCISCO Social networking company Facebook is entering the burgeoning cloud gaming market currently dominated by the likes of Microsoft, Google, Nvidia and Intel. Users can play games directly in the Facebook mobile app and on its browser, without downloading any new software as they would on app stores such as Android\u2019s Google Play […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":140734,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-153067","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology"],"yoast_head":"\n