Stadia and other video game streaming services want to remove the need for expensive video game consoles; players will be able to stream high-quality games from a big tech company's data centers directly to their TV or phone. Google plans to launch Stadia later this year, while Microsoft's Project xCloud streaming service will enter beta tests this summer. Amazon and Electronic Arts have both announced their intentions to enter the space, as well.
US Gamer reports that Walmart had already been in talks with video game developers and publishers about a streaming service earlier this year, and the company has continued discussions at this year's GDC.
Walmart has owned Vudu, a streaming service for movies and television, since 2010. In September 2018, Walmart entered a partnership with MGM to produce Vudu's first original shows. The company told the Wall Street Journal they felt that one of Walmart's core demographics, "middle- and low-income shoppers in rural and suburban communities," were underserved by the existing content on streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Instant Video.
More reports suggested that Walmart might offer a Netflix-style video subscription service through Vudu, but those plans haven't come to fruition as of yet. Diving into streaming video games would be a fresh challenge for the retail giant, requiring a major investment in technology and cloud infrastructure. Just this week, Walmart CTO Jeremy King left to take a new role at Pinterest .
But video game streaming is a trend that's just getting underway, and it wont hurt for a company with as many diverse interests as Walmart to explore the business.
Walmart did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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