Just as everyone thought that the heavily rumored cloud buyout for E3 was made up, Sony Computer Entertainment has announced that they have purchased the cloud gaming company Gaikai.
The full buyout, which will cost SCE $380 million, comes after reports that the company was looking for a buyer.
Andrew House, President and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, said:
By combining Gaikai’s resources including its technological strength and engineering talent with SCE’s extensive game platform knowledge and experience, SCE will provide users with unparalleled cloud entertainment experiences, SCE will deliver a world-class cloud-streaming service that allows users to instantly enjoy a broad array of content ranging from immersive core games with rich graphics to casual content anytime, anywhere on a variety of internet-connected devices.
CEO and creator of Gaikai Inc., David Perry, added:
SCE has built an incredible brand with PlayStation and has earned the respect of countless millions of gamers worldwide. We’re honored to be able to help SCE rapidly harness the power of the interactive cloud and to continue to grow their ecosystem, to empower developers with new capabilities, to dramatically improve the reach of exciting content and to bring breathtaking new experiences to users worldwide.
The implications of the purchase are clear, and mean big, big things for PlayStation, and Sony as a whole.
In the press release, SCE said that “through the acquisition, SCE will establish a new cloud service”, although offered no date as to when we’ll see it. What will also be interesting to watch is how Samsung reacts to the news that their new partner for gaming TVs is now owned by one of their fiercest competitors.
As consoles face more threats than ever before, do you think the Gaikai buyout will ensure that PlayStation continues on, or do you think it is a frivolous purchase of a pointless method of gaming? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
