MS significantly expands 'Xcloud' domestic pilot service... supports 85 games

Including Domestic Games Such as 'Geomeunsamak' and 'Tera'

[Asia Economy Reporter Jin-gyu Lee] Microsoft (MS) is significantly expanding the pilot service of its cloud gaming service 'Project xCloud' in South Korea.

On the 21st, MS announced that the xCloud pilot service is expected to support 85 games in South Korea. xCloud is a game streaming technology that allows users to enjoy Xbox games on mobile devices through a cloud platform in 5G, LTE, and Wi-Fi environments. The xCloud pilot service is being conducted in three countries including South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The domestic xCloud pilot service, which started in October last year, has been operating with about 30 games including 'Halo 5: Guardians.' The newly added games include domestic titles such as 'Black Desert' and 'TERA.' The game streaming app can be downloaded from One Store. MS has decided to provide Korean subtitles and voice services for 40 out of the 85 games available in South Korea for Korean gamers.

Additionally, MS has partnered with SKT to utilize mobile infrastructure such as 5G and LTE to provide the best cloud gaming service experience to domestic users. The two companies plan to continuously strengthen their partnership to expand pilot service trial opportunities and enhance gaming experiences. In October last year, MS launched the xCloud pilot service for SKT 5G and LTE customer trial groups, who were able to experience cloud game streaming technology through Android-based smartphones or tablets.

As a result of the xCloud pilot service, the average gaming time of domestic gamers was 1.75 times longer than that of users in the US and UK, and the reconnection rate reached three times higher. Karim Chowdhury, MS Vice President in charge of cloud gaming, said, "The process of collecting user feedback while operating the pilot service has been very helpful in gaining insights into xCloud," and added, "We plan to significantly expand pilot service trial opportunities so that more users can experience the service and we can improve game streaming technology through their feedback."