Catherine Gluckstein, Vice President of Xbox Gaming Cloud, announced via Youtube that Xbox Cloud Gaming Service has seen an 1800% increase over the last year, which in turn has prompted them to increase the server capacity. This is no small leap for cloud gaming, it seems as though gamers are opening themselves up to the concept more and more as time goes on.
While Microsoft has primarily focused on the Xbox console, this increase in interest in Xbox Cloud Gaming seems to be causing them to turn their attention more towards that service. The service streams game's from a remote location to users' phones, tablets, and laptops from Xbox.com/play, and as of recent months, the games can now be streamed onto newer Samsung TVs.
Currently, on the Xbox Gaming Cloud, there are over 300 games available, where they can be streamed onto the mobile device of choice with ease. While some of the games do come with touchscreen controls available, players can also connect a controller to give for a more console-like experience, as well as a more familiar control option. This latest increase in numbers could give Microsoft that extra push to really start marketing this service, since it already comes free of charge to those who purchase Gamepass.
To meet the demand of the increase in usage, the company has decided to expand the servers to players all across the world in order to make the game more accessible to those across the map, as well as add in more players for gamers to interact with. It is, without a doubt, Fortnite to blame for this sudden surge in Cloud Gaming users, as it is completely free to play even without a Gamepass Ultimate subscription. Since Microsoft partnered with Epic Games and allowed Google Play users to have complete access to the game regardless of the ban, it has triggered several users to play right from the comfort of their handheld and mobile devices.
Cloud gaming is nothing new, and Microsoft will have quite the hefty competition in the category. Platforms like Google Stadia, which was recently rumored to be shutting down shows no signs of stopping yet, also have a hand to play within the Cloud gaming industry. Other handheld Cloud Gaming devices will also be stiff competition in the market, such as the Steam Deck and the newest upcoming handheld device that is being created by Logitech and Tencent.
To date, the Xbox Cloud Gaming service has over 10 million users throughout 28 countries, and it seems as though Microsoft has no plans on slowing down their growth anytime soon.
