370°

EA: "Cloud gaming is going to bring in another billion players"

CTO Ken Moss on EA's huge investment in AI, cloud streaming and tech

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gamesindustry.biz
badz1491651d ago

just like that, suddenly a billion people now have connections that can accommodate games streaming. EA is genius. bye bye poverty

/s

roadkillers1651d ago

Not saying that you are inaccurate because it is true, the connection is needed. I did a report on smart phone usage in Africa.

80% of the people in Africa cannot afford basic necessities like food, clothing, shoes, shelter. Yet, over 80% have a smartphone. This is for other reasons of course... the banking system is corrupt so it helps them have a bank. Along with that, when war/fight breaks out, families are sometimes seperated for months/years. Having a smartphone can bring them together in days/weeks.

In China, very few buy consoles because they have been banned (until 2015, I believe). Everyone has a smartphone and a lot have PCs. China had put strict laws on video games, let's say they do it again. It will be much harder to regulate an American company that does Cloud gaming.

There is a big player market out there. My smartphone can run Project XCloud very well on my wireless data (a couple sound hiccups here and there). I do not want to use my wireless data because it eats through it, but it does work.

Dabigsiebowski1651d ago

They only make money for the fat wallets now who will throw money at their machine for a couple of days for some skins they'll never touch again

Muzikguy1651d ago

At the rate these people talk they're going to probably start creating their own players out of thin air just to sell them a subscription service.

RememberThe3571651d ago

You're probably not too far off actually.

Baza1650d ago

Why am I not surprised this is coming from an executive at EA.

Welshy1651d ago

They clearly misspelled "payers". I bet they'd love a billion more people to rip off and manipulate.

UltraNova1651d ago

Streaming... right up EA's alley.

Thunder_G0d_Bane1651d ago

You can't spell Streaming without EA loool

Fraggle19871651d ago

They will be talking about markets such as china. They are correct.

1651d ago
Shikoku1651d ago

China will colaspe before that happens they are already showing the same signs as the Former soviet union in the last 80's early 90' s

OMGitzThatGuy1651d ago

Shareholder speak. Wanting them to stick around during their stagnant times with promises of a big boom.

wheresmymonkey1651d ago

Have you been to China, The Chinese do not pay for games.
Piracy is the default setting over there.
If you can't crack a console to play pirated games it does not fare very well at all.
The Switch, now that is taking China by storm, Why? because you can crack the thing wide open.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 1651d ago
rainslacker1651d ago

What is it with all these publishers hoping to get a billion players? MS said something near the start of the gen. Activision said something a week ago. Now, EA says something.

Instead of chasing after larger player bases, chase after more stable and committed player bases. Keeping the customer you have happy is a lot cheaper than trying to get new customers. Proven fact of business many times over. If you take care of your current customers, then you just grow with new customers as they're likely to be happy as well. Plus, while happy customers aren't as likely to praise your company, unhappy one's will fight against you at every turn, and happily tell others how much you suck. yet another fact of business.

Welshy1651d ago

Why would they only want alot of many when they can chase ALL of the money?

These greedy corporations have been over simply making money for years now, if it's not smashing current top end profits it's essentially seen as a loss.

Just look at how often games sell 10's of millions of units, 100's of million of dollars and all we get are statements from them saying it sold "below our expectations".

1651d ago Replies(3)
Muzikguy1651d ago

I've been saying this same thing not just for games for a long time. It's like companies are so focused on getting bigger and bigger instead of being focused on keeping existing companies satisfied. Doing this they ignore so much. It's a big issue in telecoms as well. You'd think they'd know those simple facts but many seem to ignore those too

DaniMacYo1651d ago

Okay, okay, clam down EA before you add too many MT into your cloud gaming before it even kicks off.
What’s with “Billion” being a new secret bro code or something.

UltraNova1651d ago (Edited 1651d ago )

This ^ guy gets it.

Why would EA be happy with no used games, potentially a lifetime subscription to their service and no middlemen only when they can add even more MTs on top of it and make a couple billion bucks on top of all that?

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250°

Take-Two CEO Doesn’t Think AI Will Reduce Employment or Dev Costs; “Stupidest Thing” He’s Heard

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick doesn't think AI will reduce employment or lower development costs, and calls it "stupidest thing" he's ever heard.

lodossrage1d 3h ago (Edited 1d 3h ago )

They already have AI trained to do coding.......

How he thinks it's stupid is beyond me, Especially since we see it happening in real time.

CS71d ago

Company A has 300 employees and lays of 200 to replace them with AI to release the same quality game.

Company B has 300 employees and keeps all 300 but instead uses AI to release a game with dramatically larger scale, scope, complexity, short dev cycle etc.

Company B would release a dramatically better product by using humans + AI and consumers would buy the better game.

I actually agree with this concept.

Huey_My_D_Long1d ago (Edited 1d ago )

This is key facet. Its how the AI is used. It's actually is impressive as is and really would make an amazing addition to alot of people in their jobs, not just tech. It also has the potential for businesses to use to lay off large amounts of people, as much as they could to save money on labor. I hope too many companies don't go with the latter. But since usually companies are worried about bottom line over people...we will see some try and hopefully fail. But yeah, if its to help workers like in your company B scenario I'm totally down...Just scared Company A may be too enticing to some ceos and businesses.

Darkegg1d ago

Value of AI and value of humans will both be increased with human-AI complex. Each, by themselves, will not be independently better than the other. Whether AI will ever be independent from humans is the fear question of humans, ironically because of our doing. At this stage, most of the doing is because of humans, not because of AI. AI is doing exactly that by our design, until we have failed ourselves with an AI development that went awry. The biggest take is that humans have only ourselves to blame when things become wrong, and we have to decide what is the ultimate goal with AI we want to accomplish. It would take a person with high morals and high ethics to make right of AI. I would not want businessman to decide what AI should do or what capabilities it can have. AI should be in the hands of people with high moral fiber, or those operating on love, kindness, and compassion.

BlackOni23h ago

AI is SUPPOSED to be used as a tool, not a replacement. It's designed to do two important things artists can take advantage of immediately.

- Make the ideation/reference imaging process much quicker and easier (basically using it as a google search)
- Make mundane and time consuming tasks faster and easier so more time is spent on creation.

Unfortunately, what many have done is used it as a way to replace rather than supplement.

Einhander197220h ago(Edited 20h ago)

CS7

In the ideal world yes.

In the real world where companies have shown little desire to innovate and spent every effort to maximize profits the end result will be the same quality games (if were lucky) made by less people and more AI.

Company Real World: Fires 200 people and makes the same game cheaper using AI and the executives get record bonuses.

Edit:

Lets look at history, specifically auto manufacturing.

In the 70's and 80's the auto unions tried to oppose automation of jobs (robots) stating that they would take peoples jobs. And the people in charge who wanted to make more money said the exact same types of things that are being said about AI. But we can look at history and see that countless types of jobs were in fact replaced by automation, that was of course even compounded upon by computers.

The net effect was that the rich got richer less jobs were needed so wages were forced down by competition for the jobs that were left.

hombreacabado2h ago

that concept works in the initial beginning phase of AI but once AI learns and surpasses the knowledge and coding expertise of even the best human employee than this CEO will no longer need competent humans in that line of work.

Extermin8or3_37m ago

@Hue_My£D_Long

Yes but that is a choice then by massively increased productivity and this greater income and wealth and stagnating with similar levels of productivity and output and not creating much wealth. Usually the option that creates wealth prevails because a rising tide raises all ships.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 37m ago
Number1TailzFan1d ago

You can already make your own SFX with text prompts now as well, of course it will lower development cost and time

1Victor1d ago (Edited 1d ago )

WARNING WARNING ‼️ SARCASM AHEAD
Sure Strauss and robots didn’t take jobs from car factories.
Edit:Sad thing is he believes it and unfortunately he won’t be replaced for a long time by AI

senorfartcushion22h ago(Edited 22h ago)

He doesn't, he's just lying. These people lay people off so they can get bonuses. If AI takes jobs, their bonus goes bigger and the workforce goes smaller.

porkChop20h ago

Because he sees AI as a tool to aid development. He wants to use AI to help make bigger and better games in the same timeframe. Other CEOs want to replace devs with AI to cut costs and make lifeless games faster for a quick buck. Strauss has the right idea, this is how AI should be used. To extend and expand the capabilities of devs.

neutralgamer19921h ago

There will be few companies who will go overboard and try to replace their employees with AI tech. The ones that will make the most money will be the ones that utilize ai, along with their employee talent, to make the best product possible

AI could handle some of the most time consuming processes. To expediate the development, so in return, costing the publisher's last money end time.

Extermin8or3_40m ago

Not reliably they haven't. Coding done by ai is generally abysmal for all but the most generic tasks.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 37m ago
jambola1d 2h ago

Ceo says stupid thing
Part 5837384

Zeref1d 1h ago (Edited 1d 1h ago )

I think maybe sometimes we give people in these positions too much credit when it comes to intelligence.

DarXyde5h ago

I think you mean candor, not intelligence.

If you take him to mean what he's saying at face value, sure.

I don't. And I think he's clearly lying.

romulus231d 1h ago

As long as it doesn't effect his inflated executive salary or his ridiculous bonuses I'm sure he's fine with it.

RNTody1d ago

Hahaha yeah trust the CEO suit over the actual developers making the games. Good one.

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100°

Every PlayStation Studios game available now on Windows PC

Windows Central writes: "Many PlayStation Studios games that are ported to PC get dedicated PS5 DualSense support, which allows users to experience haptic feedback and adaptive trigger support without actually having to own a PS5.

According to Hermen Hulst, head of PlayStation Studios, it's still the company's intent to launch the bigger single-player games on PS5 first, before later bringing the games to PC. This might not be the case for multiplayer games however, which are considered okay to launch simultaneously on console and PC."

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windowscentral.com
ocelot072d ago

My guess is after god of war. Probably last of us 2 that's a almost 4 year old game now and by the time it's released on pc it will be more than 4 years old or close to 5.

Elda2d ago

Every old Playstation game that is now on PC.

shinoff21831d 17h ago

Right. I definitely see what a headlined from a website named windows central was trying to do though. It's cute little wordplay to help out the green box

Flewid6381d 16h ago

Are PlayStation games no longer good or worth playing once they are old?

Elda1d 16h ago

I'm guessing my comment went over your head.

XiNatsuDragnel2d ago

Good at least they can sell hardware

340°

Trying to push players over from PC to console is a terrible idea, PlayStation

As PlayStation announces its new strategy to encourage PC users to choose PS5 it is a bitter-sweet moment for PC gamers.

Christopher2d ago

I mean, it's a business based on hardware market. Do we expect them to not even try? It's not like Nintendo doesn't do the same by not putting any games on PC and Microsoft until recently did the same. I don't care what they attempt, as long as they don't abuse the community or lie about their goals/requirements.

Will it work? Not likely. Should we care? No. Let them waste their time, it doesn't affect anything.

RaidenBlack2d ago

let them try ... at the end of the day, we get few extra PC games ... yay ... and also promotes game preservation via PC ... so double yay.

LordoftheCritics2d ago

If only Playstation games provided the ease of pc gaming features.

Primary being very few PS games support m/kb.

Christopher1d 22h ago

If only PC games supported controllers more. Main reason I play primarily on console. So many games have shit support on PC. Playing Dark Envoy now, and it's quite frustrating since I have to switch to keyboard during cut scenes just to make sure advancing conversation doesn't also auto-select a decision. Let alone it's quite rough to select between characters and inventory screens are bad bad bad.

Anywho, similar complaints for both I find. But, I 100% agree that both PC and consoles should support both as best as possible.

crazyCoconuts1d 17h ago

PS may push more kb support in the future to get more PC converts, we'll see.

Flewid6381d 16h ago

As someone with a high end PC, I feel like the ease is on PS5. Too many PC games are a troubleshooting nightmare, which few people have the time for when all you want to do is pop in a game & play it.

Yui_Suzumiya1d 9h ago (Edited 1d 9h ago )

I just use an Xbox controller on my laptop for everything 😆 .. I haven't used a keyboard / mouse combo for PC gaming since 1996

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 1d 9h ago
LordoftheCritics1d 21h ago (Edited 1d 21h ago )

I don't think you understand what I mean by the lack of m/kb support on PS.

Over a thousand titles have PS controller support on PC.

Not even 30 titles have m/kb support on PS5.

Once you are done with the single player title, you'll go back to playing your daily shooter/looter/mmo etc which the pc gamer has mastered with their mouse and keyboard.
Why would any pc gamer make the switch?

jznrpg1d 12h ago (Edited 1d 12h ago )

PC is secondary to PlayStation for them. Mouse and keyboard would affect development. Live service will have it but most single player games aren’t going to have it as PC is not the focus

Christopher2h ago

I didn't miss it. I explained why I, a former PC only gamer, now play primarily on consoles. I don't play MP games, and the games I tend to play are better supported with controllers on console. Let alone some games aren't even supported with controller at all on PC. On console you are guaranteed the best support since it's the primary input. The fact is, PC isn't the best choice for every gamer just like consoles aren't the best choice for every gamer.

If you wanted to only disparage consoles and ignore any benefit of console, cool. But that's not how it is. There is no perfect platform for everyone. It's why we have the hardware market that we have.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 2h ago
Fishy Fingers2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

I wish them the best of luck.

But PC players are often a patient bunch, many will even wait for Epic launcher exclusivity to end until a game comes to Steam.

If they didnt buy the console when its games were exclusive, why would they do it now theyre not?

MrNinosan2d ago

Way more do than you probably think.

ravens522d ago

All you need is that one game that'll make a few switch at a time. Like a game a PC player REALLY wants.

porkChop1d 19h ago

It just doesn't work that way though. Plenty of the best games ever made were never available on PC. That didn't make PC gamers buy consoles to play them. This kind of strategy has never worked in the past and it won't work now. It's fine for PS to hold their games back and release on PC later, but to think that will boost console sales is wishful thinking. All this will accomplish is some double dipping, which is obviously good for business.

JackBNimble1d 18h ago (Edited 1d 18h ago )

People aren't going to switch from pc to ps5, why would anyone do that for a game?
Most sony exclusives aren't all that to begin with, and pc has the option to upgrade what they want when they want it. Having access to some ps5 games, gamepass and steam.

Thinking this would happen is naive

outsider16242d ago

I mean if there's 10 million pc gamers out there...getting atleast just 1 million from there is probably a good thing..right?

romulus232d ago

PC players are not a monolith, I don't know why people keep thinking they speak for the entirety of all PC gamers like they all know each other personally. You think out of the millions of PC gamers not one single person will be impatient?Well Sony is willing to bet there will be. Why would they do it now? People's feelings change and new PC gamers come along all the time that may also feel different about waiting, that's why.

Yui_Suzumiya1d 9h ago

Just like how I'm waiting for Alan Wake II to hit Steam 😆

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 1d 9h ago
-Foxtrot2d ago

PC gamers are just too patient and loyal to their gaming set ups, something they've spent a lot of money on to perfect. They have backlogs of games which many never get round to finishing or get round to at all and will always have other multiplatform releases to keep them going.

Over the many years Sony has published so many awesome titles such as The Last of Us, Uncharted, Heavenly Sword, Infamous, Killzone, LittleBigPlanet, Dreams, Puppeteer, Resistance, Heavy Rain, Gran Turismo, Motor Storm, God of War, Horizon, Ratchet and Clank, Spiderman, Ghost of Tsushima, Bloodborne

If none of those games BEFORE all these PC ports convinced a hardcore PC gamer to get a PS5 console then why on Earth would porting them them to PC now make any difference? All PC gamers now know 100% is that they just have to be patient, which they are good at anyway to get a PS5 game 2 years later.

I get GaaS games or multiplayer focused titles but if people really want to play these games they'd have gotten a PS console years ago.

Crows902d ago

Not sure they're aiming to convince the hardcore PC gamer.

Not sure why people are obsessing over his comment...it seems pretty simple to me.

He will do all he can to entice gamers to move to his ecosystem. As you say....exclusives existing hasn't moved many gamers over. But if they get to try them and love the games then they might change their mind about waiting 2 years.

We're in an echo chamber on this site...I've Personally seen people with Xbox and PC setups but no PlayStation. I've also seen people with small PC setups but no console. Not every pc gamer invests thousands and many may decide to put one in the living room.

They're not looking to convince all of players to buy a PlayStation...just a few...and really it is just a PR statement after all...they have to give a reason why single player won't release day 1....not to mention they also have to ensure current PlayStation gamers don't jump ship to PC. It goes both ways and they're ignoring the big L by putting any of their games off their platform.

anast2d ago

"Not sure they're aiming to convince the hardcore PC gamer."

Right here

Kakashi Hatake2d ago

PC gamers think tomorrow is promised. Sorry, don't have time for that.

Michiel19892d ago

it's not just about loyalty or sunk cost, pc is an open platform while consoles are closed platforms. If you for example want to mod, you will play on pc, no question about it. Also if you like indie games, steam is a fucking goldmine for that. I've been playing a lot of indie games over the last years and there just seems to be an endless amount of them on steam. Also not having games locked to a certain fps is a prettty big deal for me and I assume a lot of other pc players.

Walalon2d ago

And don't forget steam sales, you can get a ton of games on an awesome price.

badz1491d 16h ago

@Walalon

Sony has been doing sales constantly on the PS Store nowadays.

jznrpg1d 12h ago (Edited 1d 12h ago )

@Walalon Steam sales are basically the same as PS sales. I was going to buy a Steam Deck and I heard about these Steam sales but the games I was interested in were not any cheaper. Indie games were cheap and older AAA were cheap but the same can be said for PS store sales. I didn’t end up getting the Steam Deck as there weren’t any games that I wanted to play that wasn’t already on PS and prices aren’t much different

romulus232d ago

And how do you know out of the millions of PC gamers that not one single person ever went ahead and bought a PlayStation console for one or more of those games? People keep speaking for the entirety of millions of PC gamers like they know them all personally. Here's one example for you, I'm currently typing on a recently purchased PC that cost me over twenty five hundred dollars and is more than capable of running any game including Sony exclusives that come to PC and yet I still bought a PS5 so apparently I'm not patient or loyal enough to my set up, hope it's not mad at me for not being loyal.

jznrpg1d 12h ago

Some of those people will consider getting a PS5 some wont. I was a PC gamer for a long time and I’m a console only gamer now. Everyone’s different.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 1d 12h ago
helicoptergirl2d ago

Who cares? Then just stay on PC and play the waiting game. No big deal. Sony wins in the end anyway.

Melankolis16h ago

Yup. If the strategy doesnt work, all they have to do is to change their mind, publish the games on PC, and they still win anyway.

Number1TailzFan2d ago

I mean if there's any single player Sony games that I actually want that aren't on PC then I would buy said console to play them on. But the ones that I like that aren't on PC are few and far between anyway so no loss for me.

If I game, it's usually multiplayer titles, otherwise I like playing around with some other software.

Amplitude1d 22h ago (Edited 1d 22h ago )

Astro Bot is the game that just did it for me. I'm gonna have to grab a PS5 again for that.

I did this for Ratchet Rift Apart too but ended up selling the PS5 after getting my plat. Rebought it on PC and other than GoW Ragnarok and Horizon FW (which eventually I could get anyway), I haven't had a reason to downgrade my graphics, controller features, ease of recording, and increase my game costs and monthly subscriptions throughout this entire generation.

I play on a TV with a controller but this has been the absolute worst console gen for both consoles. Never in my life thought I'd be a PC gamer but I've been spoiled by the cheap costs, cross-platform controllers and mostly the unbelievably useful Steam controller config.

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