Electronic Arts is interested in launching a video game streaming service in the coming years, according to the company’s financial director, Blake Jorgensen.
During a talk at the UBS Global Technology Conference in San Francisco, Jorgensen said that in the coming years, players will be able to have a new streaming option with EA titles. The company is working with an unspecified partner to carry out this task. “I think you’ll see a commercial offering probably in the next 2-3 years from us and a partner,” Jorgensen said.
The executive explained that, unlike a couple of years ago, it is now easier to stream content due to the increase in generalized data centers. Before, users who lived far from a data center experienced poor transmission. With the efforts of companies like Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Apple, there are now more options to run this service without setbacks.
He commented that Microsoft is one of the companies that is planning to venture into this space, something that also generates confidence in EA. Last week, Phil Spencer mentioned that they could launch a streaming platform in 2020, a fact that coincides with the project that Jorgensen spoke about.
Microsoft and EA are allies of many years ago and have worked together in this type of services; as an example, we have EA Access. It is not clear if the mysterious partner is Microsoft, but it would not be strange to see an alliance between these companies to create a streaming platform.
The largest example of video game streaming is Sony with PlayStation Now, a platform that is available on PS4 and PC and allows you to play more than 500 PS3 and PS4 titles for a monthly subscription of $19.99. This service is only available in the United States and some European countries.
Because Sony already has its own service, it would not be strange to see an alliance between Microsoft and EA to venture into this market. Also, Internet connections could improve in the coming years, giving greater openness to streaming video games.
Jorgensen said he is aware that Internet speed is not optimal in many places, however, there are places where it is possible to carry the streaming service without major problems. He also made it clear that he does not think that these types of platforms are a replacement for users who prefer to buy complete games individually.
EA seems to be happy with the results of gaming services, including EA Access and Origin Access. At the end of October the company said they are planning to bring this service to new systems, so in the future, we could see a version for Nintendo Switch or PlayStation 4.
