Not too long from now, when you’re prepared to play your next huge video game, it might be on something besides Microsoft’s Xbox, Sony’s PlayStation or Nintendo’s Switch.
You may play it by linking to a gadget or service originating from Apple, Google, Amazon or perhaps Comcast.
That’s right, Comcast.
The cable television and web huge apparently has quote or has actually thought about bidding for Korean video gaming business Nexon, that makes the popular online role-playing video game MapleStory, according to a Korean service paper. Comcast is up versus Amazon and Apex Legends maker Electronic Arts, which are likewise stated to be in the mix.
Representatives from Comcast, EA, Amazon and Nexon either decreased to comment or didn’t react to ask for remark.
The news of Nexon’s possible sale works as a pointer that the home entertainment landscape is quickly altering. As business try to find the next huge thing beyond music memberships, web connections and offering you the next iPhone, computer game might hold a secret.
The currently substantial $138 billion computer game market has actually produced cultural phenomena like the fight royale video games Fortnite and Apex Legends and competitive sports franchises like Riot’s League of Legends. Each of those video games is totally free to download, however they charge additional for style like a dance relocation or a various try to find your character. And individuals are purchasing. Epic’s Fortnite alone is approximated to have actually called $2.4 billion in income in 2015.
Watch this:
New Xbox may stream games
1:14
Analysts say that’s drawn the attention of media conglomerates and tech giants flush with cash and looking for a new way to grow. At the same time the devices you play games on now, such as the Xbox, PlayStation and Switch, are primed to disappear in the next decade, replaced by a superfast connection that allows you to play games over the internet the same way you watch Netflix today.
The technology, called game streaming, could lead to a shakeup among game makers like Activision Blizzard, Ubisoft and Bethesda Softworks, and is expected to be a major topic at next week’s Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.
Google is expected to use its upcoming presentation at GDC to unveil a gaming service built off its Project Stream technology, first shown last year. Xbox and EA say they want to offer game streaming too. And as larger companies like Comcast and its competitors look to jump into the game world, they may use their substantial bank accounts to buy game makers like Nexon for their expertise.
“Gaming is very international these days,” said Mike Vorhaus, a media analyst and CEO of Vorhaus Advisors. He added that any company hoping to join the fray needs to learn not just how to make a good title, but also stuff like how to give away free games like Fortnite and then make money after. And it’s a plus if the games resonate outside the US and Europe too. “With Nexon, you get a company and a brand that’s done very well in Asia and understands free-to-play games.”
Big tech companies are increasingly looking toward the gaming world.
Getty Images
Surprising fit
Nexon was founded in Korea 25 years ago and has specialized in online games for PCs and mobile devices. Its CEO is Owen Mahoney, a veteran of EA. And it’s best known for MapleStory, a free game in which players travel a fantasy world defeating monsters, exploring dungeons and creating unique characters. The game, which you can play with friends, boasts “hundreds of hours of adventure.”
The company also makes Dungeon Fighter Online, a game in which you fight your way through dark worlds and dungeons. It was particularly popular in China and eventually drew more than 600 million players worldwide.
That kind of success would be catnip to a company like Comcast, analysts say, bringing expertise in large online games while also expanding its business outside the US.
Comcast has shown interest in video games before. The cable and internet giant, which also owns NBC Universal, teamed up with EA to bring game streaming to TVs in 2015. The experiment, called Xfinity Games, offered people a chance to stream games like the tongue-in-cheek strategy game Plants vs. Zombies.
The project fizzled out, but it explains why Comcast might have considered a more serious move into gaming. “Comcast would get a front-row seat, ostensibly, and build its ‘gamer-grade Internet’ under the Xfinity brand,” said Joost van Dreunen, head of Nielsen’s SuperData Research.
Deep pockets
It may seem implausible that a big company with little history making games would suddenly want to buy in. But that’s just what Microsoft did when it blasted onto the scene in 2001 with its Xbox video game console, instantly making it the next big competitor to Sony and Nintendo.
Now more tech giants are lining up to take on the industry.
Beyond Google’s announcement, Apple, already a massive video game distributor through the App Store, is rumored to be using its deep pockets to fund a subscription game service. (The company is expected to announce a Netflix-like video streaming service on March 25.)
You may soon count Comcast, Google and Apple among the major game makers.
Getty Images
Facebook, which helped turn Zynga’s FarmVille into a household name, has built several game services over the years. And in 2014, it bought Oculus VR for more than $3 billion, instantly making it one of the leaders in the video game industry’s much-hyped virtual reality push.
Amazon, for its part, has already invested billions of dollars on video games, be it through buying the popular game website Twitch for $1 billion in 2014 or various game studios like Double Helix that same year.
Whether Nexon ultimately goes to Comcast or another giant is still uncertain.
Either way, it’s clear that the game’s about to change.
