Amazon is Upping its Project Tempo to Bring Us a New World of Gaming
If you thought Microsoft has done well in recent years in gaming, Tencent could have company with Amazon eventually.
In the world of Cloud streaming of video games, I’m pretty optimistic about Amazon’s version called Project Tempo. Amazon is basically spending “hundreds of millions” of dollars to try to become one of the next big names in gaming.
Amazon has given the clearest indication yet that it aims to take on the likes of Google Stadia, Project xCloud, and impressive newcomer GeForce Now (Nvidia) with its very own cloud gaming platform.
Amazon is also coming out with a slew of new games in May, 2020. One title is a sci-fi shooter called “Crucible,” while the other is a massively-multiplayer online fantasy title called “New World.” New World indeed already has its official website up which you can check out here. It’s no Bannerlord, but it’s something.
The video game industry has long been in Amazon’s sights, with the tech giant also reported to be developing a cloud-based gaming service code named “Project Tempo.” With Google Stadia destined for failure, I think we need to look at Microsoft vs. Amazon seriously in the space. Microsoft’s Project xCloud however doesn’t excite me.
Jeff Bezos, the company has bestowed the name Relentless Studios on its flagship game operation in Seattle. They might not get these first few games right, but I think they are on the right path with Twitch, even as Microsoft’s Mixer has cloned and bought off some of their influencers.
Crucible and New World are coronavirus social distancing friendly!
New World will boast a player-driven end-game economy and 50 vs 50 guild warefare that looks pretty fun.
This is definitely something to look forward to for May, 2020. You can pre-order on Steam here.
The Video Gaming Industry will Reach Nearly $200 Billion in 2020
As the economic shutdown decimates industries, video gaming is not among them. In fact it will thrive even higher than former projections. Gaming is expected to generate more than $160 billion in revenue in 2020, making the business more than twice the size of the global recorded music industry. The financial crisis of 2020 is a boon for the video game industry and Amazon could win big.
Amazon owns Twitch, probably the single biggest gaming-related time-sink in the world that’s not an actual game, so it’s got an “in” in the gaming world already. Amazon has positioned itself already as a leader in sci-fi type content and Crucible mirrors that.
Bottom line, expect Amazon to up the competition against Microsoft in video gaming and Cloud stream gaming. If New World looks dull to you, Crucible is a decent alternative. This combination of an open world and competitive elements suggests “Crucible” will provide a gaming experience similar to games like “Destiny” and “Fortnite,” though only time will tell what it’s really like to play. Here’s hoping Crucible does better than Apex Legends.
New World appears in style and setting to be a bit like a Tolkienesque reimagining of 17th-century British America. I think as a gamer, I’ll prefer that setting and MMO experience. So basically, It takes place on Earth and the player characters are all human; swords, bows, and guns seem to be more common than magic.
There’s also a territory capture system that pits player companies against each other. Corporations you say? That sounds like the battle between Google, Microsoft and Amazon in gaming and AI itself!
While we are social distancing, we have options: New World, Bannerlord and others. Bannerlord is currently 3rd on Steam’s current players‘ rankings. New World is generic, but seems to have enough end-game features to be fun for a few weeks. Bannerlord will need a lot more Mods to be truly fun. But it’s the pandemic, we’re going to be playing video games sometimes, and that’s okay.