On June 27, the “SPARK 2022” Tencent Games Conference was held online, unveiling novel cloud gaming technology that is set to transform the future of online gaming. This year, over 40 innovative products and projects for the Chinese market were showcased.
The conference was divided into three parts: “New Technology Exploration”, “New Product Experience” and “More New Values”.
During the New Product Experience segment, a demo of their latest project “Evolution” was shown that revealed revolutionary cloud game technology. Unlike movie blockbusters like “Jurassic Park” which can only be watched from the sidelines but never experienced first-hand, the technology of this game pulls you right into the “land before time”.
With cloud game technology, the R&D team was able to create a cinematic and immersive scene for players. Surrounded by lifelike dinosaurs and vegetation, players feel as though they have stepped right into prehistoric times. In addition to this, the cloud game technology supported synchronisation for multiple players.
Cloud gaming, otherwise known as gaming on demand, is a type of online gaming that only requires a reliable internet connection to access a streaming service that sends gaming information to an app on the recipient device. So far, tech giants like Tencent, Alibaba, and Huawei have invested in multiple teams to move PC games, console games and mobile games to the cloud.
Currently, Tencent believes that cloud game technology has the potential to enhance the gaming experience to the point where it could meet cinematic standards, as seen in the “Evolution” demo. The addition of cloud-based features is expected to pave the way for more breakthroughs that will lead the gaming industry into a world of immersive storytelling and visuals that are true to life.
Tencent Senior Vice President Steven Ma emphasised the growing importance of crossover technologies, stating that in the future “games will play a more important role in both economic development and social life, creating even greater technological breakthroughs and richer value”. From a marketing standpoint, this could mean fresh opportunities for new forms of video advertisements within cloud games.
Overall, the cloud gaming technology revealed at the SPARK 2022 conference offers a glimpse into the reinvention of the gaming experience and industry as we know it.
