Online cloud based gaming has just reached another level with Square Enix, one of the largest publishers of the world entering the industry. Just few weeks back the cloud gaming industry was looking bleak when OnLive announced that it was going into bankruptcy.
Square Enix has recently announced its new online gaming service Core Online which promises to bring high definition games to your PC using your browser only. You heard that right, no installation, no disc or long wait. Access to the website now and you could start playing one of the games published by the company.
The technology works pretty much the same way as any other cloud gaming service. Square is opting for the free to play business model with Core Online. But since the new service comes from one of the biggest and best publishers of the world, this might actually work.
Square Enix’s subsidiary, Hapti.co is the mind behind this technology. Using the same kind of technique unity engine and Google uses for its Chrome browser, the company has created its own launcher that must be installed before the game can be played.
The technology combines itself with the Google Native Client platform to utilize the system’s graphics processor unit to render the images in the game using the browser. The technology has been further optimized to work with Firefox and Internet Explorer, whereas Google’s Native Client platform works only for the Chrome browser.
Although no pay model has been introduced, but Square has already said that it is looking at the behavior of the market to bring a good business model that will attract everyone. Currently the games available on the system are free to play.
Square has expressed its opinion about ad based video games. It’s the same business model that Google has been using for applications on the Android operating system. Players will be able to play a game for free but they might see advertisements.
Another model in discussion is the force to click ad model. In this model the gamers will be force to click on an ad when playing a game. After clicking on an ad, anyone will add additional 10 minutes of gameplay to their account.
Square is currently offering Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, Hitman: Blood Money and Mini Ninjas as starter video games for the service. In the future the company has plans to bring every major release to its browser based service.
When the service launches this October, Square will bring two additional titles to the service. These titles include the popular Tomb Raider: Underworld and Gyromancer. In the start Square Enix will probably add in old school games to the service, but we expect that big games will start appearing on it if it is successful.
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