The great thing about InstantAction is that it basically lets people try out any game ever made for free, and if gamers can demo any game, it "takes the wind out of the sails of pirates," Castle said. Additionally, because the games are totally browser-based, it's incredibly easy for InstantAction to leverage social networks like Facebook to share games, friends lists, etc. It's completely viral as opposed to before when people would need to go to InstantAction.com. Moreover, Facebook can essentially serve as InstantAction's Xbox Live.
There's been a lot of talk about cloud computing, but Castle sees these technologies as complementary to InstantAction rather than a great standalone solution, which is why he partnered up with Gaikai to handle the streaming aspect of InstantAction.
"Things like Gaikai and OnLive are fine on their own; they're great experiences for very few people for a short period of time, but they're not a perfect solution. At the end of the day, you don't want to rent all your gameplay time. If I pay 70 or 80 bucks for a game then I expect to own it at that point. I don't want to have to pay every time I log in," Castle added.
He continued, "We think we have the special sauce that changes this industry and truly gives somebody today a viable alternative to going to the store to buy a game. We're trying to be that disruptive technology that we haven't seen [in the industry] yet. We think between the embeddable, browsable, incremental pay and ownership... all of those things combined make a very compelling experience."
The revamped InstantAction is expected to go live by the end of this month. It should be noted that InstantAction as a company still has GarageGames and the Torque toolset, and the company also will continue to develop its own games. Castle himself, although serving as CEO, is still in the development trenches. "Some of the games that come out, you'll say 'Wow, I didn't expect that out of a Lou Castle,' but when you think about what the InstantAction platform can do, as a game maker it excites me... so we're making games almost as examples of what you can do," he said, adding, "I'm working on one game that'll ship in a couple months and then another that should release in about 18 months. It's a big expansive thing that I'm known for... and we'll be talking about it next year."
IndustryGamers also sat down with David Perry, so we'll be bringing you much more about Gaikai specifically soon. Stay tuned!
21 Comments
May 5, 2010
If it really takes off, why would people feel compelled to buy a new console? And thus why would the console manufacturers expend the massive resources needed to develop a new console when their capacity to get return on that investment has been drastically curtailed? driver update scanner
May 9, 2010
I'm not saying streaming will single handedly kill consoles. But it's another factor in the question, what's the point of building a more powerful console for release in the foreseeable future? (other than for Nintendo maybe, for whom raising the horsepower bar still has a point given the installed base of current display technology).
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May 13, 2010
The "console cycle" is already out the window thanks to the high development costs both for software and hardware of the current generation, relative to the ROI on each - and the easier wins that motion control innovation has delivered.online fax
May 16, 2010
I hate to admit it, especially since I like Nintendo's franchises more, but Sony arguably has the best first party development studios. Though no slouch in this department, MS puts less emphasis on first party besides Halo and it shows. They are clearly third in this respect, but that doesn't mean they're not still impressive. digital fax service
May 17, 2010
I hate to admit it, especially since I like Nintendo's franchises more, but Sony arguably has the best first party development studios. Though no slouch in this department, MS puts less emphasis on first party besides Halo and it shows. They are clearly third in this respect, but that doesn't mean they're not still impressive.online fax trial
May 20, 2010
Especially if they use NATAL with RACHER and CLANK, are you kidding me! online fax
May 23, 2010
They are clearly third in this respect, but that doesn't mean they're not still impressive. internet security software
May 25, 2010
m not saying streaming will single handedly kill consoles. But it's another factor in the question, what's the point of building a more powerful console for release in the foreseeable future? (other than for Nintendo maybe, for whom raising the horsepower bar still has a point given the installed base of current display technology). best ecommerce solutions
May 26, 2010
The most ironic part of this whole situation is that third parties will likely take much greater care to use the PS Move in a way that adheres to core gamer sensibilities than the wagglefests they've produced for the Wii. I say this for two reasons:EasyCGI Hosting Review
May 30, 2010
im going to guess that your a xbox fanboy because of your vague and disingenuous hope for natal but i didnt really understand your argument for natal and exactly what you were talking about. please elaborate.best identity theft solutions
May 31, 2010
The video modes supported in Windows 7 are 16-bit sRGB, 24-bit sRGB, 30-bit sRGB, 30-bit with extended color gamut sRGB, and 48-bit scRGB
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June 2, 2010
Actually InstantAction is the one doing this with Gaikai tech, and it's gonna launch pretty soon from what I read.
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June 3, 2010
“One with a kind-of long-range, ‘Here’s what we’re gonna do years down the road,' and then another one that’s, ‘Here’s what we’re gonna do as the very next project.'”standing coat racks
June 8, 2010
The reason for it is not because of its practical implications; they're quite modest. But the sheer ambition, the sheer judicial arrogance that you see here.lamps
June 20, 2010
Back in March, Sony had announced that it has hit five million users on Home, with many of them spending up to 40 minutes at a time there. Since then the number of users has topped 6.5 million a feat which Buser described as, “absolutely staggering”.best email marketing software
June 21, 2010
This just in: Sonic the Hedgehog 4 to require Move and Natal for PS3 and 360 versions. Wii version to require motion controls as well. online fax
June 23, 2010
When you do finally succeed after many, many deaths, she expresses annoyance.luxury gifts
June 27, 2010
These gamers are usually in an online league such as the Cyberathlete Amateur League (C.A.L.) and their parent company the Cyberathlete Professional League (C.P.L.) where all grouped players were labeled as teams and not clans.shopping cart program
June 28, 2010
Yeah, I wouldn't worry about these too much if you're an action type gamer. RTS - sure, TBS - absolutely, puzzles - perfect, even MMOGs are likely going to do somewhat well in many of the MMOG type situations. But hard-core games that require rapid updates and serious graphical work by the GPU are just not going to work well in the cloud model.
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June 29, 2010
My biggest beef so far with the just-launched Champions Online is that it throws too many mechanics at a new player all at once (competing with the beef that they discarded too much of the fine detail of creating your own powers that was the heart of the Hero system).online fax
July 20, 2010
The most ironic part of this whole situation is that third parties will likely take much greater care to use the PS Move in a way that adheres to core gamer sensibilities than the wagglefests they've produced for the Wii.
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