Amazon is looking to get into game streaming, joining its tech titan contemporaries Microsoft and Google, according to a report from The Information.
Amazon is reportedly developing its own game streaming service, and it is talking to publishers about distributing games on its platform. Citing “two people briefed on the plans,” The Information reports that the service likely won’t launch until next year at the earliest.
GeekWire reached out to Amazon about its game streaming plans and will update this post if we hear back.
Amazon has a games division, with teams based in Seattle, Irvine and San Diego. It offers tools through its cloud computing division, Amazon Web Services, to help developers build games. Amazon also owns the popular streaming service Twitch, which it acquired for close to $1 billion in 2014.
The rise of cloud computing has led to a potential revolution in gaming away from expensive, high-powered consoles and computers. That’s because more of the processing power is moving to the cloud, allowing more games to work on phones and tablets.
As the leader in the cloud market, Amazon is well-positioned to take advantage of the trend. Microsoft last year announced Project xCloud, a gaming service that will let users play Xbox games on mobile devices using specially designed servers built from Xbox components. Google jumped into game streaming last year with the announcement of Project Stream, a service that brings PC games to its Chrome browser.
