What’s happened? Phynd, a free cloud-gaming platform, has announced a collaboration with Samsung that will bring its subscription-free service to Samsung Smart TVs.
- The service is free to use and supported through ads, offering a curated library of games directly on the TV — no console required.
- Users can control games through a smartphone, TV remote, or gamepad, making the platform more readily accessible to the average player.
- The service will see a beta launch in the United States this year, and a global rollout is expected in 2026.
Why this is important: The launch of another cloud-based gaming service signals the continued, seemingly inevitable march of gaming towards a console-free experience, but it also makes gaming available to a wider audience.
- More than one billion smart TVs have been sold in the last five years, opening up a massive potential market.
- Phynd believes gaming companies can offer free entertainment by selling advertising spaces to companies, bridging divides between different industries.
- Phynd is offering interested parties the chance to join a limited beta round to try out the service.
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Why should I care? Phynd has not yet announced what games might be part of the lineup, but Samsung already offers titles like Starfield, Fortnite, and Call of Duty through its Samsung Gaming Hub. If those games become available through Phynd for free, it would allow players without access to the requisite consoles or platforms to try them out.
- This service has the potential to provide access to brand-new games for free.
- Games featured as part of the service will likely see an influx of new players, potentially bringing new life to stagnant multiplayer servers.
- Phynd says it offers a range of different titles, “From must-play indie hits to blockbuster AAA titles—puzzle, racing, adventure, and more—PHȲND is your gateway to the games you love and the ones you haven’t met yet.”
