Fortnite Isn't on Xbox Cloud Because Epic Apparently Doesn't Want it--But Why?

RJ Pierce, Tech Times 29 April 2021, 04:04 am

Battle royale games are more or less among the most popular video games these days, and one of the biggest is Fortnite. It boasts millions upon millions of players across almost every major gaming system, but the thing is, it's still suspiciously missing from one.

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PARIS, FRANCE - OCTOBER 25: A gamer plays the video game 'fortnite' developed by Epic Games on a laptop from the Razer company during the 'Paris Games Week' on October 25, 2018 in Paris, France. 'Paris Games Week' is an international trade fair for video games and runs from October 26 to 31, 2018. (Photo by Chesnot/Getty Images)

According to an IGN report, the massively popular battle royale title has touched virtually every console, computer, and game-streaming service but one: Xbox Cloud Gaming. And when asked why, Epic Games business development president Joe Kreiner gave this answer.

"We viewed Microsoft's efforts with Xbox Cloud to be competitive with our PC offerings," Kreiner is quoted as saying in an official court document. In non-corporate speak, it basically means that Epic Games considers Xbox Cloud Gaming as a direct competitor.

Clearing the Air

What Kreiner said sounds a little bit weird, because of two things.

First, Fortnite is already a free-to-play game on Xbox, as reported by The Verge. However, not a lot of gamers who might want to play it can afford an Xbox system. A game streaming service, then, would offer them an option.

Second, it can be accessed via another game streaming service, GeForce Now, which came about due to Epic Games' recent partnership with NVIDIA (which also brought NVIDIA Reflex, a latency-reducing feature, to Fortnite).

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ANKARA, TURKEY - NOVEMBER 26: A man plays Fortnite game on smartphone in Ankara, Turkey on November 26, 2018. (Photo by Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

It becomes even weirder once you get into the details. When Epic partnered with NVIDIA last year to launch Fortnite on the latter's streaming service, they actually got every single bit of revenue from any in-app purchase, not NVIDIA. One could assume that this would get any other game streaming service on Epic's good side, right? Wrong.

But perhaps here is what's making Epic bar Fortnite from being available on Xbox Cloud: Microsoft is a direct competitor to NVIDIA. And just like Epic Games themselves, Microsoft also doesn't allow any rivals to be on Xbox or Xbox Cloud.

Missing Out on The Potential of Game Streaming

Gaming is seeing a renaissance in its overall popularity and societal acceptance. But let's face it: not everyone has the capability to buy PlayStations, Xboxes, and gaming PCs. A lot of people have smartphones and tablets though, and that's a potentially gargantuan market that games like Fortnite can only ever reach via game streaming services.

The likes of NVIDIA's GeForce Now already exist, offering avid fans the chance to play the latest games without needing to have a console or a powerful gaming rig. All you need is a capable mobile device, an internet connection, and some money to pay for the service every month. If Epic Games is trying to get even more people to play Fortnite, remote game streaming is a potential gold mine that they're missing out on.

(Photo : Getty Images)
Nvidia headquarters in Santa Clara, California, U.S., on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021. Nvidia Corp. is expected to release earnings figures on February 24. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images

What's Next?

Kreiner and Epic Games are still busy trying to resolve their dispute with Apple to focus on something like this. But who knows? Perhaps they will try to consider bringing Fortnite (and possibly even more games of theirs) on Xbox Cloud, which will likely open them up to more business opportunities than they'd care to admit.

At the end of the day, it's all about business.

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by RJ Pierce