Xbox Cloud Gaming just got a major boost
The future is bright for the cloud
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Microsofthas hired former design director forGoogle Stadia, Kim Swift, as its senior director for cloud gaming at Xbox, in a major move to develop cloud-based games for itsXbox Cloud Gamingservice.
In an interview withPolygon, Xbox Game Studios publishing head, Peter Wyse, said Swift, who was also also lead designer on the Portal game series, has joined the company “to build a team focused on new experiences in the cloud,” adding that Microsoft’s goal is to create “cloud-native games.”
The Xbox Cloud Gaming service (formerly known as Project xCloud) – which launched forXbox Game Pass Ultimatesubscribers in September last year – allows players to stream Xbox games directly to their smartphones, though at present there have been no titles developed specifically with cloud gaming in mind.
Our team focuses on three pillars in our games: Community, Innovation and Inclusivity. Today, @K2TheSwift joins us in XGS Publishing to accelerate our Innovation and collaborate with independent studios to build games for the cloud.Welcome to the team, Kim! pic.twitter.com/pM3E5XxyrtJune 21, 2021
Given that all of the games currently playable via Xbox’s Cloud Gaming service were designed to run primarily on existing consoles and PCs, none of them have truly been able to take advantage of the cloud-based platform.
The “new experiences in the cloud” Swift has been tasked with creating for Xbox, then, may refer to games which tap into the platform’s multi-server capabilities – potentially meaning faster load times and greater graphical performance, beyond that which a singleXbox Series Xconsole can support natively.
The news comes after Microsoftrecently announcedplans to upgrade its Xbox Cloud Gaming servers to the latest Xbox Series X hardware in a bid to improve gaming quality – further proof that the company is serious about getting cloud gaming right.
Help for Hideo?
Swift joining Microsoft could be music to the ears of Hideo Kojima fans, too, if another report about the hire is to be believed.
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The legendary Metal Gear Solid developerhad previously expressed an interestin making a cloud-native game forGoogleStadia, before Googleclosed its in-house game development studiosin February.
Butrumorssuggest Kojima is now in negotiations with Microsoft to have the studio exclusively publish his next game, and a VentureBeatreportclaims Swift has been brought in specifically to help the developer with the technical aspects of his as-yet-unnamed project. It’s noted, though, that these negotiations remain just that – so it’s worth considering the partnership between Kojima Productions and Microsoft as merely speculative, at this point.
In any case, Microsoft’s acquisition of a celebrated alumni of both Google Stadia and Valve is a sign that the future is bright for Xbox’s still-young Cloud Gaming service – as well as that of the gaming industry as a whole.
ViaThe Verge
Axel is TechRadar’s UK-based Phones Editor, reporting on everything from the latest Apple developments to newest AI breakthroughs as part of the site’s Mobile Computing vertical. Having previously written for publications including Esquire and FourFourTwo, Axel is well-versed in the applications of technology beyond the desktop, and his coverage extends from general reporting and analysis to in-depth interviews and opinion.
Axel studied for a degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick before joining TechRadar in 2020, where he then earned an NCTJ qualification as part of the company’s inaugural digital training scheme.
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