NVIDIA seems to have an unlikely supporter in Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games and the Epic Games Store (EGS). The creator and owner of the Unreal Engine recently posted a tweet proclaiming his support for the GPU maker’s recently launched GeForce NOW game streaming service.
To give a bit of a backstory, NVIDIA’s GeForce NOW service was recently cast into the spotlight when multiple game developers decided to pull their games library from the service. To date, the list of developers includes Activision Blizzard, Bethesda, and more recently, 2K Games. For context, the exodus means that we’re looking at some really popular titles missing from the store, including the Activision Blizzard’s Call of Duty Modern Warfare or 2K Games’ most recent Borderlands 3.
In his tweets, Sweeney says that his EGS will continue to improve integration with GeForce NOW over time and that NVIDIA’s streaming service is the most developer and publisher-friendly streaming services. With “zero tax on game revenue”.
Epic is wholeheartedly supporting NVIDIA’s GeForce NOW service with Fortnite and with Epic Games Store titles that choose to participate (including exclusives), and we’ll be improving the integration over time.
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) March 7, 2020
While there is still no official word as to why the three major games developers pulled out, the unofficial consensus is that NVIDIA’s unwillingness to give participating developers a cut of the profits from GeForce NOW was the reason behind the exodus. It’s basically an attempt for developers to double-dip their proverbial lollipop by first getting their game revenue via digital distribution platforms like EGS and Steam. Followed by a cut from NVIDIA’s game streaming service.
Then, to add fuel to the fire, Sweeney took a shot at the both Apple and Google’s own cloud streaming services and outright proclaimed that he’s waiting for their actions to more or less come crashing down on them.
Despite the controversy courted by Sweeney and his stance on game exclusivity over the past year, the man isn’t exactly wrong. While the service isn’t available in Malaysia, NVIDIA’s GeForce NOW streaming service has a major potential in allowing gamers who own graphically demanding titles to enjoy them at their highest visual presets. Wherever they are and through the company’s own hardware.
(Source: Tim Sweeney via Twitter, Hot Hardware, The Verge // Image: Flickr via GDC, Hot Hardware)
