Own video games and a cloud gaming platform from Amazon should soon become reality. Thus, in addition to Google and Microsoft, another Internet giant is intervening in the digital entertainment industry.
Amazon has it all – this has been a common saying about the giant of online mail order for years. But despite countless electronic and software offerings and the ownership of the streaming platform Twitch, there has been a lack of areas for gaming clouds and self-developed games. This will already change in May 2020.
A shooter with esport potential and the delay of the longed-for role-playing game
Amazon is investing hundreds of millions of US dollars in the development of video games. The first of these is Crucible, which is to be released by Amazon Game Studios in a few weeks. The second title planned is New World.
Crucible is an innovative multiplayer Deathmatch Shooter – which resembles a Battle Royale. In the game twelve players compete against each other, but can also form temporary alliances. Of these opponents, only one will survive in the end, while an additional player watches the game and influences it with self-determined events.
Similar to the upcoming Shooter Valorant or the MOBAS League of Legends and Dota 2, Crucible uses different characters with different classes at the same time. According to Amazon, the third-person shooter will be an upcoming Esport title.
Last Thursday, it was also announced that the release of the MMORPG New World will be postponed to August 25th. The reason for this is the Corona Pandemic, which Game Director Scot Lane announced via video message on YouTube. Because all developers are currently working from home, the progress of the game, which fans have been longing for, is delayed.
Amazon wants easy gaming access
Amazon is very familiar with film and series streaming. Now a cloud gaming platform is to conquer the market. In this still booming branch of business, Google and Microsoft will get a serious competitor in Amazon.
“Project Tempo” is to be the provisional name of the cloud gaming platform and, similar to Google Stadia, is to use less computer power because games can be played centrally from the server. It is currently unclear whether it will actually be possible to stream via this platform or whether additional functions will be available. The release of Project Tempo is expected for the end of 2020 or spring 2021.
An advantage for Amazon is that the listed US company has already been able to claim the top position among streaming platforms since the purchase of Twitch in 2014. This means that cooperations between individual game titles and Twitch can be implemented more quickly. According to Mike Frazzini, Amazon’s Vice President for “game services and studios”, interactive games will make it possible to connect significantly more people with each other. Players, streamers and viewers will be able to interact with each other at the same time.
