New Square Enix Cloud Gaming Service Named After Evil Final Fantasy VII Company

Not content with only offering the Dive Instreaming service, Square Enix is prepared to jump into cloud gaming with Shinra Technologies, a new company led by former Square Enix president Yoichi Wada. If the name sounds familiar, that's because it's based off the Shinra Electric Power Company, the evil corporation from Final Fantasy VII that tried to harvest all the Mako from the planet's Lifestream. Even funnier is that Just Cause developer Avalanche Studios will assist with building tech and games — let's hope Avalanche doesn't turn around and blow up a Shinra reactor or two!

Wada claims that this industry can't continue to rely on dedicated hardware to deliver the same types of AAA experiences we've come to expect. Cloud gaming can't simply bring the same games we've grown accustomed to, either; it must branch out in new directions. As Wada stated:

If we simply bring traditional games to the cloud, you will never get a game experience that surpasses current games. We want developers to create entirely new games with revolutionary game experiences.

A technical beta for Shinra will begin in Japan in early 2015. Included in the beta are Final Fantasy VII (no kidding!), Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Hitman Absolution, Tomb Raider, a new game called Space Sweeper, and an interactive version of Square Enix's infamous Agni's Philosophy tech demo. A North American beta should follow shortly afterwards.

Via: Polygon