Sony Buys Cloud Gaming Service Gaikai for $380 Million

4 July 2012

Leave A Comment

Posted by:Ferry Groenendijk

This week Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) announced that it entered into a definitive agreement on June 30, 2012 (Japan Time) to acquire Gaikai Inc., the world’s leading interactive cloud-based gaming company, for approximately US$380 million. Through the acquisition, SCE will establish a new cloud service, ensuring that it continues to provide users with truly innovative and immersive interactive entertainment experiences.

Established in 2008 and headquartered in Aliso Viejo, California, Gaikai has developed the highest quality, fastest interactive cloud-streaming platform in the world that enables the streaming of quality games to a wide variety of devices via the internet. With this acquisition, SCE will establish a cloud service and expand its network business by taking full advantage of Gaikai’s revolutionary technology and infrastructure including data centers servicing dozens of countries and key partners around the world.

As you may know, Video Games Blogger is proud to be one of Gaikai’s first affiliate partners (since March 8, 2011). You can try out Gaikai’s cloud streaming games service on our dedicated “Play Gaikai Games” page, which allows you to play a game’s demo for one hour without installing anything on your computer! Give it a try and comment below how you like it.

Here are some quotes from the teams involved:

“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,” said Andrew House, President and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. “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.”

“SCE has built an incredible brand with PlayStation and has earned the respect of countless millions of gamers worldwide,” said David Perry, CEO of Gaikai Inc., “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.”

Sony also states they will continue to aggressively expand a new world of entertainment through the introduction of innovative technologies and the delivery of amazing experiences.

Here’s the PC-exclusive game Hawken running on a simple tablet being streamed via Gaikai:

I’m thinking this either means one or more of the following:

1. Sony’s PC free-to-play MMO’s will become playable everywhere like on Facebook.
2. The PlayStation 4 will give you the option to stream cloud-based games without taking up disk space.
3. Sony smart TV’s of the future will allow you to buy and play PlayStation 1, 2 & 3 games!

What do you think of Sony’s Cloud Gaming PlayStation Future?