As if the console wars in the gaming industry were not enough, we now have another battle on our hands.

Amazon has announced that it is launching its own cloud gaming service called Luna, which will behave like a Netflix for gamers. 

The platform is thought to come with a mass library of 100 titles to choose from, and users can play with a special Luna controller. The announcement by Amazon now marks an official, on the books challenge, against Microsoft and Google, who has also recently launched their own respective cloud gaming products.

(Source: Amazon) 

However, with this in mind, Amazon is taking a slightly different approach compared to its competitors. Instead of offering an all-access subscription-like Microsoft’s game pass, it is launching a new concept of access. Amazon is launching a platform of channels for a range of different publishers which users have to pay a monthly fee for. 

Amazon’s Luna channels are thought to be priced at £6 a month and are said to be quite similar to Goggles Stadia platform. What this means is that users can play games from the cloud across their PC’s and smart mobile devices. This offers users total flexibility as they won’t need to pay extra for individual games on different devices.

(Source: Statista)

Amazon has also claimed that Luna will be available on Apple devices; however, only as a web app. This is a major step up in contrast to its competitors, Microsoft and Google, who have been unable to add cloud gaming functionality to iPhones. This is due to Apple’s restrictions on its App Store, which requires a pre-approval process for each of its games. 

Can Luna succeed in an established market?

The size and popularity of Amazon does make it a significant threat to Microsoft and Google, especially when taking into account its prowess in cloud computing. However, this does not necessarily mean that it will be successful. There are several hurdles that Amazon needs to overcome. 

They need to be able to find enough content to make their service worth paying for their customer, which is something Google Stadia struggled with in the beginning. Google initially launched with only 22 titles but have gathered momentum, and have slowly added more games to its platform.

The streaming gaming industry is already worth millions and will no doubt be worth a lot more in the years to come.

Although Amazon has done well throughout the pandemic with a spike in sales and overall net worth, the company has in the past, had less success in the development of its own games. Cloud gaming has big potential for the company, but they have to get it right. However, as gaming space and interest grow, more and more competitors will begin to enter the battleground. This is great for consumers as companies continuously make and offer better games and prices, but it is not so good for the companies.

The popularity of streaming services today shows great promise for them in future as they are set to grow. Streaming services are expected to generate just over 4 billion in revenue next year climbing to a mammoth 12 billion in 2025. The streaming gaming industry is already worth millions and will no doubt be worth a lot more in the years to come. However, is streaming the new future for gaming, making console gaming extinct?

Streaming games give users the flexibility to be able to play no matter where in work they are and form any device, whereas conventional gaming requires consoles. This could be one of the biggest shifts in the gaming industry and change gaming as we know it today.