Cloud gaming in 2024

The power of cloud gaming

1. Game accessibility: Since players can play cloud games without needing to buy expensive hardware, cloud gaming opens up exciting opportunities for companies to distribute their games globally and attract new players previously limited by hardware or budget constraints. Additionally, PC games that may have once required an expensive gaming rig can now be enjoyed by anyone on any device, allowing studios to expand their audience in the traditional top markets while also exploring emerging ones.
2. Player acquisition: There is a clear use case for cloud gaming for player acquisition, as cloud gaming helps to remove the initial download barrier facing new players and allows them to jump right into gameplay with just the click of a link. Developers can make their entire game playable on the cloud and offer users free playtime or alternatively just launch a cloud demo. By using cloud gaming links on the back of paid marketing or influencer marketing campaigns, companies can go beyond just a video trailer and give players the real experience of playing their game before they decide to buy/download it.
3. Retention: For games with an existing community, there's also an opportunity to use cloud gaming to deepen your relationship with players. Since there is no downloading of game files associated with cloud games, developers can safely share early versions of games or pre-release content with their community via cloud links to gather feedback and involve them in game development. Offering these sorts of benefits as community rewards can increase your players' investment in the development of your game, foster a deeper sense of player community, and help to increase retention rates and playtime.
4. Pre-release security: Cloud gaming offers a secure and efficient means for pre-release testing of games. By utilizing cloud-based platforms, game companies can safely share early game versions with testers, journalists, and event attendees without the risk of unauthorized downloads. This approach enables scalable and affordable playtesting while safeguarding intellectual property.
5. New revenue: Cloud gaming has the ability to grow revenue for game companies in two ways: (1) by generating an entirely new revenue stream from players playing on the cloud and (2) by growing game sales revenue as new cloud players convert and purchase your game. Launching a cloud game should be complementary rather than a threat to your game sales revenue. As a developer, you should build a monetization strategy for players who prefer to play on the cloud while having an acquisition strategy to convert those same players to purchase your game. The reduced barriers for players that cloud gaming brings make it easier for more players to discover your games and grow your revenue.

Take your game to the cloud with Xsolla Cloud Gaming

• Launch your cloud game using an existing build of your game, with no additional dev work needed.
• Add a "Play Now" button to your website, or we can create a site for you to build a direct-to-consumer (D2C) relationship with your audience.
• Serve players in 19+ regions with customized pricing.
• Players use a Pay-As-You-Go payment model and pay for the time spent in your game using virtual currency, providing an alternative to the subscription model. We are also open to other payment models.
• As your Merchant of Record, we handle cloud game uploads, service management, and taxes.
• With our transparent revenue formula, know upfront what Xsolla's cloud gaming services cost as you self-onboard through our Publisher Account.