Xbox Cloud Gaming has been a huge success for Microsoft and is now adding its first free-to-play title to the service in the form of the popular battle royale game Fortnite. In an update shared earlier today, Vice President and Head of Product of Xbox Cloud Gaming Catherine Gluckstein has shared some insights into the cloud gaming service’s growth and success over the past year and a half.
Gluckstein has revealed that as a direct result of Xbox’s investment in the cloud, their gaming everywhere service has really taken off, reaching large audiences of people around the globe. According to the report, more than 10 million people around the world have streamed games through Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) as part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate so far. This is a pretty impressive figure, and Microsoft is clearly committed to expanding its reach even further with the addition of free-to-play games such as Fortnite.
This move means that the cloud gaming service will provide the opportunity for those who aren’t subscribers to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to enjoy free-to-play titles. It also means that gamers who aren’t yet part of the Xbox ecosystem will have access to free-to-play games via an iOS device, Android phone or tablet, or Windows PC through web browser. “This is just the beginning for us,” says Gluckstein, “we’re going to learn, implement feedback, and in time look to bring even more free-to-play titles to players through the cloud.”
The growth and expansion of Xbox Cloud Gaming are detailed further in the update, which reveals that the service is now started to be rolled out on Steam Deck, as well as all the other platforms it can currently be used on. It’s evident that the future for cloud-based gaming is certainly looking bright and that Microsoft is making great strides in making gaming more accessible for everyone.
