More games for Stadia? Google quietly launches Cloud Game Servers alpha test

By Gabe Gurwin Published July 31, 2019

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Google is hard at work developing its game-streaming service Stadia, which is planned to launch in just a few months, but the company has another cloud gaming service in the works that could greatly affect how smaller developers create their games. Google Cloud Game Servers is now entering an alpha phase that developers can request access to starting today.

The Cloud Game Servers are built using an open-source platform called Agones, which allows developers to “host, run, and scale” dedicated multiplayer game servers. It makes use of Google’s Kubernetes Engine, the very same used to run Gmail and YouTube.

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Speaking on LinkedIn, Google Cloud Platform developer advocate Mark Mandel explained that Agones initially released nearly two years ago. The service is already being used by Ubisoft and mobile game developer Supersolid, and it is compatible with any game engine. It also provides metrics and monitoring dashboards, so you can stay informed on how your game servers are operating.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider Review — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The introduction of Google Cloud Game Servers will presumably make it easier for developers to get their multiplayer games working with Stadia. When checking out the sign-up form for the alpha test, questions such as “What kind of game are you building?” and “When is your game expected to launch?” allude to Google’s interest in introducing new titles to its cloud gaming servers, and possibly even Stadia. Google is certainly going all-in on online content, with fighting games and shooters coming to the platform alongside traditional single-player titles like Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

Google Cloud Game Servers could offer stiff competition to Microsoft, as well, which currently offers its Azure servers to several of the biggest developers and publishers in the world. Azure is arguably more robust, with 50 global regions. It also features protection against Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, as well as translation and other language tools.

Azure is a proven system, that’s been implemented in games like Titanfall, offering an experience not possible using local hardware alone. Sony even partnered with Microsoft recently to bring gaming and other content to Azure, despite the two companies competing in the video game market with the PlayStation and Xbox platforms.

Former Contributor

Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…

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Gaming

PlayStation Portal misunderstands remote play and cloud gaming’s appeal

A PlayStation Portal boots up.

Sony finally revealed more details about its upcoming handheld, now called PlayStation Portal, but these announcements have soured my opinion on the device rather than hyped me up for it. I enjoy cloud gaming and have used a variety of services like Google Stadia, Amazon Luna, and Xbox Cloud Gaming - across my phone and even dedicated devices like the Logitech G Cloud Gaming Handheld. Because of that, I was really excited to see what PlayStation could do as it entered the space. Unfortunately, some specific exclusions from PlayStation Portal's functionality that make it more of a remote-play device rather than a cloud gaming handheld indicate that Sony has a fundamental misunderstanding about what people would want out of a PlayStation game streaming handheld.

Namely, the device's positioning as primarily a "remote play dedicated device" and the exclusion of PlayStation Plus Premium cloud gaming compatibility drastically shrinks the number of reasons people should pick the device up. Cloud gaming and devices built around it have been around long enough to show that an inclusive approach to the number of services, games, and kinds of game streaming available is vital to success, and for a $200 handheld, PlayStation Portal seems like it's excluding way too much.
Narrowing its appeal
Remote play differs from what's more ubiquitously referred to as cloud gaming players are running the games on their own consoles rather than a third-party console or server. Still, it's a form of streaming games over a Wi-Fi connection, typically through an app on a phone or device like the Logitech G Cloud Gaming Handheld. That means you'll have to stick around your own home to use the PlayStation Portal, and its game library is limited to whatever the user owns on the console. That's limiting (it's like if Steam Deck only ran Steam Link) but does have some use cases. Still, it doesn't necessarily feel like it warrants a dedicated $200 device over a phone and a nice mobile controller like the Razer Kishi V2 or Backbone One - PlayStation Edition; haptic feedback and adaptive triggers only go so far.

Gaming

Microsoft gives Activision Blizzard cloud gaming rights to Ubisoft

Microsoft's Xbox Cloud Gaming Service Enters Beta This Week

Microsoft announced its intention to grant Ubisoft, the publisher behind series like Assassin's Creed and Far Cry, the cloud streaming rights for Activision Blizzard titles if Microsoft's acquisition of the Call of Duty publisher goes through.
This deal was made in order to appease the U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). Microsoft has not had an easy time trying to acquire Activision Blizzard as it has run into heavy resistance from regulatory bodies like the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the U.K.'s CMA. The CMA's complaints centered around the potential monopoly Microsoft could have on cloud gaming if the deal were to go through. There was speculation that Microsoft would divest its U.K. cloud gaming efforts to appease the CMA, but it has now presented this new plan that would technically make it give up control of Activision Blizzard game-streaming rights worldwide for the next 15 years.
In a blog post, Microsoft President Brad Smith explainsed that if the Activision Blizzard acquisition happens, Microsoft will give "cloud streaming rights for all current and new Activision Blizzard PC and console games released over the next 15 years" in perpetuity following a one-off payment.
Essentially, Ubisoft will be the one deciding which cloud gaming platforms and services to put Activision Blizzard games on, not Microsoft. Smith claims that this means "Microsoft will not be in a position either to release Activision Blizzard games exclusively on its own cloud streaming service -- Xbox Cloud Gaming -- or to exclusively control the licensing terms of Activision Blizzard games for rival services," and that Ubisoft will allow them to honor existing agreements with companies like Nvidia.

Ubisoft has been cloud gaming friendly over the past several years, eagerly putting its games on services like Google Stadia and Amazon Luna. With this deal, Ubisoft says it plans to bring Activision Blizzard games to its Ubisoft+ subscription service. Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick also commented on the deal, saying that he approves of the deal, but that "nothing substantially changes with the addition of this divestiture" for Activision Blizzard and its investors.
The current deadline for Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition is October 18.

Gaming

Netflix is finally testing out cloud gaming on TV and browsers

Oxenfree being played via Netflix on TV and on a computer.

Netflix announced it's starting a limited beta test for streaming Netflix Games on TV and browsers starting today, beginning with the titles Oxenfree and Molehew's Mining Adventure.

Netflix has made a concerted effort to get into mobile gaming over the past couple of years, but the company has also voiced its intention to bring Netflix Games to platforms other than iOS and Android via cloud gaming. Last week, a mobile game controller app for Netflix appeared on the iOS App Store, suggesting that an announcement related to Netflix Games on TV was imminent. Now, in an August 14 blog post, Netflix confirmed it's holding limited betas to test the water for Netflix games on TV, PCs, and Macs.
Starting today, some Netflix subscribers in Canada and the U.K. will get access to a limited beta test for Netflix Games on TV. Initially, Amazon, Chromecast, LG, Nvidia Sheild, Roku, Samsung, and Walmart TVs will support Netflix Games, with more to "be added on an ongoing basis." In the coming weeks, Netflix.com will also start to allow subscribers in those regions to play games via a browser on both PC and Mac.
To start, only two games will be playable during the beta: Night School Studios' narrative adventure game Oxenfree and a new "gem-mining arcade game" called Molehew's Mining Adventure. Players will stream these games to the device Netflix is open on and can play them with a keyboard, mouse, or that Netflix Game Controller app. The blog post states that the purpose of this beta is "test our game-streaming technology and controller, and to improve the member experience over time.'
There's no word on when this beta will make its way to North America, but this does indicate that we'll only see Netflix's gaming presence ramp up in the coming months and years.