Microsoft and Sony announced last week that both companies would be collaborating together for cloud-based gaming. The collaboration would see Sony using Microsoft Azure for its streaming services, which also extends to Azure AI. Despite how strong of an impact this has on gaming, however, the deal took the PlayStation team by surprise.
Bloomberg spoke to sources who stated that the collaboration happened “largely without the involvement” of Sony’s PlayStation team. Negotiations began last year and senior management in Tokyo has handled everything till now. The surprise was such that, “Managers had to calm workers and assure them that plans for the company’s next-generation console weren’t affected.” Sony has yet to confirm that its PlayStation team wasn’t in the loop.
Microsoft wasn’t the only company Sony was talking to. Last year, it sought a collaboration on cloud gaming with Amazon. Both sides couldn’t come to an agreement though. The reason for Sony seeking a partnership in the first place is because, as per Bloomberg, the company realized that its own infrastructure wasn’t enough, especially if cloud gaming started to make strides.
Asymmetric Advisors strategist Amir Anvarzadeh stated, “Sony feels threatened by this trend and the mighty Google, and has decided to leave its network infrastructure build-up to Microsoft. Why would they sleep with the enemy unless they feel threatened?”
The results of this collaboration are likely a ways off. Google Stadia is launching this year in territories like North America, Europe, and Canada, but its impact on gaming becoming entirely cloud-based still remains to be seen. Stay tuned for more information, especially with E3 2019 around the corner.
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