Mail.ru Group Enters Cloud Gaming Market

Gaming division of Mail.ru Group (MY.GAMES brand) is launching a public beta test of a cloud gaming service allowed to run high-quality games on low-end computers. In the future, the company plans to integrate the service into the VKontakte social network, according MY.GAMES website, TASS writes.

The service is available on the MY.GAMES Store platform, users will be able to run both the platform’s products and games from the libraries of other digital stores in the cloud, including Steam and Epic Games Store, provided that they have already been purchased by the player.

The service will be available throughout Russia during the beta testing. “However, the most optimal experience will only be available to players within a radius of 1500-2000 km from the MY.GAMES Cloud server centers, located in Moscow and St. Petersburg. In 2021, the service will expand to cover more areas and platforms – during the beta, the service will only be available on Windows, but versions for Mac OS, Android, iOS, and SmartTV are also expected to launch in 2021. In the future, users will be able to play in the cloud via the social network VK.com, through their internet browser,” the company said.

“We see great potential in cloud gaming technology, especially in a country like Russia, where its well-developed internet infrastructure provides a high-quality gaming experience at an affordable price. We are happy to welcome international publishers partners, for whom the launch of such a service can provide the opportunity to reach a new audience. At MY.GAMES we have access to the latest cutting-edge technology, letting us provide up to 4K quality streaming with minimal latency,” MY.GAMES CEO Vasily Maguryan said.

According to NewZoo data, the global cloud gaming market could grow more than 8-fold by 2023 to $4.8 bln. Russia is a young player on the market, the first such solutions for players began to actively appear only in 2019.