Sony and Microsoft Unlikely Bedfellows in Cloud Gaming
Japanese electronics corporation Sony has leveraged Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform as their chosen framework for cloud gaming development. The partnership occurred even though Sony’s PlayStation console directly competes with Microsoft’s Xbox One console in the electronic games market. The cloud platform Azure has made significant earnings for Microsoft, not just because of cloud gaming but due to its increased usage among enterprises searching for a secure and affordable cloud solution.
Sony isn’t the only company using Azure to do their cloud gaming. Other gaming companies that are already utilizing Microsoft’s cloud cash cow are Wizards of the Coast, Ubisoft, and Tencent, among others. Earnings from the Azure cloud has bolstered Microsoft’s quarter after sales of the Xbox One console has seen some less than stellar numbers in recent months. Microsoft is keen to make the framework more attractive for game developers looking for cloud hosting as well.
End to the Console Wars?
A cultural phenomenon born in the late ’80s and carried through to today, the ‘console wars’ see electronic gaming’s console manufacturers pitted against each other. The biggest names in the console market remain Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft. With Microsoft and Sony in this tacit agreement regarding their use of the cloud, the console wars may likely be coming to an end.
However, Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, was quick to point out that partnership was put in place solely because of Sony. Nadella also pointed out that Microsoft wasn’t going to do the same thing as Google and go ‘all-in’ on cloud gaming as the internet search corporation did with their Stadia announcement. Microsoft understands that there is a lot more promise to be spread out over a wide surface area in case something goes wrong in one area of the company. By having a diverse product base, the company can continue to use better performing areas to shore up departments that aren’t as lucrative just yet.
