The new technology will allow AAA, AA, and Indie game developers to enable their games for streaming on PCs, phones, tablets, smart TVs, as well as other devices, and supports up to 1080p at 60 frames-per-second gameplay; all within a matter of seconds.
Bandai Namco, Jackbox, Ludeo, Xsolla, and other developers are already using the technology, with Amazon looking to expand the service to all developers and gamers. Amazon states converting an existing game to the new service is easy, with minimum to no coding required, and the service can also be used to help test different game builds during development.
You can learn more about the service, or try it out if you are a developer, by visiting the official website. Additionally, developers can check out the newly released blog post which provides a breakdown of the service. Developers can also find pricing information based on their individual needs by clicking here.
For more, here is the complete overview and announcement as provided by Amazon via their Press Release.
Amazon Web Services (AWS), an Amazon.com, Inc. company (NASDAQ: AMZN), today announced Amazon GameLift Streams, a fully managed capability that
enables developers to deliver high-fidelity, low-latency game
experiences to players using virtually any device with a
browser. Game developers no longer need to spend time and resources
modifying their games for streaming or building their own streaming
infrastructure. Players around the world can begin playing games in
seconds instead of waiting minutes for streams or hours for downloads.
Amazon GameLift Streams is a new capability of Amazon GameLift, the AWS
service that empowers developers to build and deliver the world’s most
demanding games. The new streaming capability opens opportunities
for developers to deliver new experiences to more players, helping them
grow engagement and sales of their games.
• Only Amazon GameLift Streams enables developers to upload their
game content onto fully-managed GPU instances in the cloud and start
streaming in minutes, with little or no modification of their code.
• Game developers can stream AAA, AA, and Indie games to players’
PCs, phones, tablets, smart TVs, or any device with a WebRTC-enabled
browser.
• Running on the world’s most extensive cloud network, Amazon
GameLift Streams can deliver 1080p and 60 frames-per-second game play
just a few seconds after starting a stream.
• Developers have the broadest set of streaming infrastructure
options for their ideal price performance, and can stream from six AWS
Regions to deliver low-latency game play around the world.
• Amazon GameLift Streams allows developers to flexibly scale their
streaming capacity up or down, so they only reserve and pay for the
capacity they need to meet player demand.
• Customers already using Amazon GameLift Streams include Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc., Jackbox Games, Ludeo, and Xsolla.
“With more than 750 million people playing games running on AWS every
month, we have a long history of supporting the industry’s game
development, content creation, player acquisition, personalization, and
more,” said Chris Lee, general manager and head of Immersive Technology
at AWS. “Amazon GameLift Streams can help the game industry transform
billions of everyday devices around the world into gaming machines
without rebuilding game code or managing your own infrastructure. For
game developers, this creates exciting new revenue and monetization
opportunities that weren’t possible before.”
Amazon GameLift Streams makes it simple for developers to launch game
streaming capabilities and meet player expectations without having to
invest millions of dollars in infrastructure and software development.
In just a few clicks, developers can upload games built with any 3D
engine to AWS and provision streaming capacity in specific AWS regions.
Developers can then use the SDK to integrate with their existing
identity services, storefronts, game loaders, and websites, or
newly created experiences such as playable demos, and begin streaming to
players. They can monitor active streams and usage from within the AWS
console, and can seamlessly scale their streaming infrastructure across
multiple regions on the AWS global network to reach more players around
the world with low-latency game play. Game developers can also take
advantage of on-demand scaling to match player demand, choose from a
selection of GPU instances that offer a range of price performance, and
rely on the built-in security of AWS to protect their intellectual
property.
Stream games with little or no modification of code
With support for Windows, Linux, and Proton runtimes, Amazon GameLift
Streams enables developers to avoid the expense and complexity of
rebuilding game code required by other streaming providers. Amazon
GameLift Streams supports Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla
Firefox, Safari, and any browser enabled with the WebRTC open protocol,
ensuring compatibility with the latest devices used by players.
Jackbox Games has developed more than 50 hit party games over the last
decade, such as Quiplash, Trivia Murder Party, Fibbage, and Quixort.
While these games have developed a loyal fan base on traditional gaming
platforms like PCs and consoles, Jackbox has been eager to reach a
broader audience that loves party games, but may not be traditional
gamers. With Amazon GameLift Streams, Jackbox Games can provide the full
game experience to people gathered in front of smart TVs or using other
devices. The flexibility of Amazon GameLift Streams will also unlock
new monetization opportunities for Jackbox and provide the ability to
add previously infeasible features that will delight players around the
world.
Directly reach and engage players with new distribution channels
Amazon GameLift Streams empowers developers to create their own game
streaming services, storefronts, or subscription offerings to foster
direct relationships with players. They can create excitement for new
games and breathe new life into back catalogs by enabling play within
seconds from game launchers, influencer videos, web browsers, and smart
TVs.
Xsolla, a leading global video game commerce company, is partnering with
AWS and using Amazon GameLift Streams for Xsolla Cloud Gaming. Xsolla’s
customizable solution enables game developers to deliver high-quality
PC and mobile gaming experiences directly to browsers using a
pay-as-you-go monetization model. By integrating Amazon GameLift
Streams, Xsolla enhances its cloud gaming capabilities without the need
to build proprietary infrastructure. This allows for
scalable deployment, seamless platform integrations, value-added
features such as a virtual gamepad, and customized pricing options.
Stream on-demand game demos
With Amazon GameLift Streams, game developers can grow their fan bases
by offering game demos that are playable in a few seconds on websites,
in advertisements, or during live influencer streams. This capability
allows potential players to immediately engage with games, helping drive
interest and adoption. Game companies can also integrate playable demos
into existing game stores for play while the full purchased game is
downloading.
Ludeo is pioneering frictionless game discovery with instantly playable
game highlights. Amazon GameLift Streams has been critical to bringing
Ludeo’s technology to the growing global gaming audience, including
communities on YouTube, X, Reddit and Steam. Its recent Hitman World of
Assassination campaign on YouTube featured playable demos powered by
Amazon GameLift Streams, delivering engagement rates five times higher
than standard campaigns with videos or static ads. Ludeo’s campaign also
earned an overall conversion rate of 20% from click-to-play to store,
demonstrating the powerful connection between interactive content
and purchase intent.
Accelerate game testing
Amazon GameLift Streams also helps game developers accelerate their
development lifecycle by cutting down the time, cost, and security risks
of game play testing. Developers can collect feedback on new content,
features, and game play modes from their internal testers and most loyal
players without losing control of their code. Instead of requiring
testers to repeatedly spend hours downloading and installing, developers
can securely distribute game builds for more efficient, standardized
testing operations. Internal and external testers receive test game
builds more quickly, speeding up the overall testing process. Streaming
to testers also reduces the risk of code and IP theft, because game
builds are not installed locally.
Stream online virtual worlds to extend game brands
Amazon GameLift Streams also enables game companies to stream immersive
virtual words built around their game universes and characters. These
experiences enable players, fans, and customers on any device to
immediately connect with brands in new ways, opening new avenues for
interactive marketing and consumer engagement.
Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc., one of Japan’s leading game publishers,
uses Amazon GameLift Streams to stream an immersive metaverse platform
to fans of its Gundam franchise. Fans can access the platform’s
interactive experiences and 3D graphics from standard PCs, eliminating
the need for high-end gaming hardware. They can explore the environment,
participate in virtual live events, access exclusive merchandise
through virtual shops, try out mini-games, and interact in
real-time with other community members. By implementing Amazon GameLift
Streams, Bandai Namco Entertainment will continue to innovate engaging
experiences on its metaverse platform.
Expanding the Amazon GameLift service
Amazon GameLift Streams is a new capability of Amazon GameLift, a fully
managed service on AWS empowering developers to build and deliver the
world’s most demanding games. Amazon GameLift also includes Amazon
GameLift Servers, which is already used by hundreds of game developers
around the world, such as Ubisoft, Zynga, WB Games, and Meta, and has
been benchmark tested to support up to 100 million concurrent users for a
single game.
