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Electronic Arts believes there is a place in the future of gaming for on-demand streaming; technology already available, but one plagued with issues and, as of yet, not really taking hold as some might have expected.
Speaking in an interview with Gamesindustry, executive vice president of strategic growth Matt Bilbey pointed out there have been issues in getting streaming services off the ground:
"The main challenge I believe has been service infrastructure, the bandwidth you need to deliver that opportunity on scale," he said. "And today, that is still a challenge. But I think over the next year to two years, that barrier will drop. Not for everyone, but for a lot of people. Bandwidth capabilities will go up so the business model around streaming a game becomes more viable.”
He pointed out the off-putting nature of laggy experiences – those who tried out the available (or previously available) services such as PlayStation Now or OnLive, had a poor gamesplaying time for whatever reason that might be, and chose never to go back to the technology – is something that needs to be overcome.
“I think there’s now a solution where we can deliver on the promise,” Bilbey said, “And we’re working with a lot of the companies who create the server infrastructure, and there are a lot of innovative solutions from a lot of big companies we’re working with that will actually allow us to bring this to life.
The former VP of sports marketing at EA Sports does find himself in a forward-looking position at the company these days, and his outlook on the future of game streaming is positive, and definitive: "I don’t think it’s a case of ‘Will it or won’t it?’,” Bilbey said, “It will happen. It’s just [a question of] when."
It will come as no surprise EA is bullish on streaming, with the company announcing a streaming service of its own at E3. No further details have emerged.
