由约翰 P. 梅洛 小. 九月 22， 2020 5：15 上午 PT
据游戏专家称，2021年将是云游戏的大年头。
Omdia高级分析师、上周发布的一份云游戏报告的作者乔治 吉贾什维利（GeorgeJijiashvili）表示："我们预计，从2020年到2021年，收入将大为增长。
他告诉TechNewsWorld："我们认为，消费者对云游戏的使用将达到40亿美元，增长率为188%，比2020年大为大跃为人多。
报告还预测，到 2025 年，云游戏收入将达到 120 亿美元。
云游戏服务将在2021年推出，这将照亮该行业的收入前景。
安培分析游戏行业分析师皮尔斯·哈丁-罗尔斯（Piers Harding-Rolls）指出："目前全球有25个云游戏服务处于测试阶段。
他告诉TechNewsWorld："其中一些将在2021年投入商业应用，并提高知名度、采用率和盈利性。
更重要的是，"他继续说。Xbox 已将云游戏功能添加到 Xbox 游戏通行证终极版中，如果它能包括在市场调整中，该功能将为商机增加价值。
"我也预计索尼的服务PS Now将在2021年继续增长，"他补充说。
微软驱动市场
摩尔洞察与战略高级分析师Mark N. Vena指出，尽管谷歌的Stadia服务表现不太惊人，但2021年及以后，整个云游戏类别将继续上升。
他告诉TechNewsWorld："微软和索尼（Sony）将在较小程度上进军云游戏领域，在节日期间推出新的游戏机，谷歌将扩大游戏库。
他补充称："大流行也将继续成为整个博彩业的逆风。
据TechNewsWorld采访的分析师表示，微软将在2021年成为云游戏收入的一大驱动力。
"有1500万Xbox游戏通行证用户，"Jijiashvili解释道。"并非所有用户都是终极订阅者，但其中很大一部分用户将成为终极订阅者。因此，明年，仅从 Xbox 就将有几百万云游戏玩家。
ParksAssoates的分析师克里斯汀？哈尼奇（KristenHanich）指出，微软已经推出一些激进的游戏通行证促销活动，目的是让更多关注和试用用户关注该产品。
她告诉TechNewsWorld："一旦客户了解这种模式的价值主张，许多人就会留下来支付全价。将这些订阅者追加销售到云游戏层"游戏通行证终极"应该相当容易。
有吸引力的追加销售
微软终止12个月的Xbox Live金卡可以作为追加销售的一部分。
ABIResearch首席分析师迈克尔？伊努耶（Michael Inouye）解释说，Xbox Live黄金会员每月为9.99美元，或季度24.99美元，相当于每月8.33美元。终极游戏通行证每月 14.99 美元，包括访问选择 PC、主机和云标题、云游戏和 Xbox Live 黄金。
"实际上，假设你按月的黄金计划，你以每月5美元获得超过黄金的所有费用，"Inouye告诉TechNewsWorld。
该行业增长数字可能很大，原因之一是它们的起点。
DFC情报公司分析师大卫·科尔说："现在几乎没有收入。
他告诉TechNewsWorld说："你真正在关注谁正在将自己定位为进入2021年的领导者。
"微软的战略——将云游戏捆绑到所有其他内容中——是云游戏的去向，"他继续说道。它并不作为自己的服务存在，而是作为更大订阅的一部分存在。
内容是王
不过，有吸引力的定价不会带来云游戏的巨大收入潜力，而没有吸引人的内容。
IDC游戏研究主管刘易斯•沃德（LewisWard）表示："最终，游戏玩家愿意为出色的内容付费。
"因此，在我看来，主要驱动力将是这些服务中越来越多的优秀游戏，"他告诉TechNewsWorld。
Jijiashvili补充说："如果你还没有人们想要玩的内容，云游戏就不会被人们接受。
瞻博网络研究部的研究分析师詹姆斯·摩尔解释说，与视频流一样，云游戏将依赖于具有吸引人的内容库。
他告诉TechNewsWorld："如果最新的游戏可以高质量地播放，而不需要新的硬件，那么云游戏在北美和欧洲等发达市场的收入将强劲增长。
帕克斯的哈尼奇补充说，便利性也将吸引玩家加入云游戏。
"玩家希望在多台设备上玩游戏，"她解释道。"对于每周玩几个小时的游戏爱好者来说尤其如此。他们在 PC 和控制台上玩游戏，但当他们在移动时，也会在移动设备上玩游戏。
每个人都会受益
当市场增长时，它可能会以牺牲市场上其他人的利益为代价。云游戏的情况不会如此，至少在未来五年内是这样。
"云游戏将有助于游戏的整体增长，"Jijiashvili认为。云游戏将是玩家现有游戏（无论是控制台、PC 还是移动设备上）的"好"补充。
Reticle Research首席分析师罗斯·鲁宾解释说，到2021年，玩家将利用云游戏来扩展其影响力。"这是关于玩你为其他平台购买的游戏，"他告诉TechNewsWorld。
"今年，更多的消费者将接触到云游戏，看看它如何运作，"他继续说。"这可能为未来几年将更多游戏转移到云中创造了舞台。
Hanich补充说，云游戏可能会增加游戏开发者的游戏销售收入。
她说："参与游戏订阅目录实际上可能会提高游戏的收入，因为它会让更多玩家面对游戏，而他们可能不会自己购买游戏。
"另外，"她继续说，"根据我们从微软那里听到的，很多时候在游戏通行证上玩游戏的人以后也会去购买这个游戏，这样，如果游戏通行证目录被旋转出来，他们就不会失去对游戏的访问权限。
Cloud Gaming Revenues to Soar to $12B by 2025
By John P. Mello Jr. Sep 22, 2020 5:15 AM PT
https://www.technewsworld.com/story/86854.html
According to gaming experts, 2021 is shaping up to be a big year for cloud gaming.
"We are expecting a big jump in revenue from 2020 to 2021," observed George Jijiashvili, a senior analyst with Omdia and author of a report on cloud gaming released last week.
"We think consumer use of cloud gaming will reach US$4 billion, which is a growth rate of 188 percent, a massive jump from 2020," he told TechNewsWorld.
His report also predicted cloud gaming revenues would reach $12 billion by 2025.
A proliferation of cloud gaming services will be launched in 2021, which should brighten the sector's revenue picture.
"There are currently 25 cloud gaming services currently in beta globally," noted Piers Harding-Rolls, a games industry analyst with Ampere Analysis.
"Some of those will commercially launch in 2021 and drive awareness, adoption and monetization," he told TechNewsWorld.
More significantly," he continued. "Xbox has added a cloud gaming feature to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which will, if included in the market sizing, add value to the opportunity."
"I also expect Sony's service PS Now to continue growing in 2021," he added.
Microsoft Driving Market
Mark N. Vena, a senior analyst with Moor Insights & Strategy, noted that despite some less than spectacular performance from Google's Stadia service, the overall cloud gaming category will continue to rise in 2021 and beyond.
"Microsoft and Sony -- to a lesser extent -- will grow the market with their forays into the cloud gaming arena with their new console launches that will occur in the holiday season, and Google will widen their library of games," he told TechNewsWorld.
"The pandemic will also continue to be a tailwind for gaming in general," he added.
Microsoft will be a big driver of cloud gaming revenue in 2021, according to analysts interviewed by TechNewsWorld.
"There are 15 million Xbox Game Pass subscribers," Jijiashvili explained. "Not all of them will be Ultimate subscribers, but a big chunk of them will. So next year, there will be several million cloud gaming players just from Xbox alone."
Kristen Hanich, an analyst with Parks Associates, noted that Microsoft has had some aggressive Game Pass promotions with the goal of bringing more attention and trial users to the offering.
"Once customers understand the value proposition of this model, many will stay and pay full price," she told TechNewsWorld. "It should be fairly easy to upsell these subscribers to Game Pass Ultimate, the cloud gaming tier."
Attractive Upsell
Microsoft's termination of the 12-month Xbox Live Gold Pass could be used as part of that upsell.
Michael Inouye, a principal analyst with ABI Research, explained that a monthly Xbox Live Gold membership is $9.99 a month or $24.99 a quarter, which amounts to $8.33 a month. Ultimate Game Pass is $14.99 a month, which includes access to select PC, console, and cloud titles, cloud gaming, and Xbox Live Gold.
"In effect, you are getting everything beyond Gold for $5 per month, assuming you went with the monthly Gold plan," Inouye told TechNewsWorld.
One reason growth numbers for the sector may be large is because of their starting point.
"Revenues are pretty much non-existent now," said David Cole, an analyst with DFC Intelligence.
"You're really looking at who is positioning themselves to be a leader going into 2021," he told TechNewsWorld.
"Microsoft's strategy -- to bundle cloud gaming into all their other content -- is where cloud gaming is going," he continued. "It doesn't exist as its own service, but as part of a larger subscription."
Content Is King
Attractive pricing, though, won't deliver on the big revenue potential of cloud gaming without appealing content.
"At the end of the day, gamers are willing to pay for great content," observed Lewis Ward, a research director for gaming at IDC.
"So the main driver, in my view, will be an increasing number of excellent games in these services," he told TechNewsWorld.
"If you haven't got the content that people want to play, there will be no uptake of cloud gaming," Jijiashvili added.
James Moar, a research analyst with Juniper Research explained that as with video streaming, cloud gaming will rely on having appealing content libraries.
"If the latest titles can be played at high quality without the need for new hardware, then cloud gaming will see strong revenue growth in developed markets like North America and Europe," he told TechNewsWorld.
Convenience will also attract players to cloud gaming, added Parks' Hanich.
"Gamers want to play their games on multiple devices," she explained. "That is especially true of gaming enthusiasts who game for many hours per week. They game on their PCs and consoles, but also on their mobile devices when they're on the go."
Gravy for Everyone
When markets grow, it can be at the expense of others in the market. That won't be the case for cloud gaming, at least for the next five years.
"Cloud gaming will contribute to the overall growth of gaming," Jijiashvili maintained. "Cloud gaming will be a 'nice to have' addition to a player's existing gaming, either on console, PC or mobile."
Ross Rubin, the principal analyst at Reticle Research, explained that in 2021, cloud gaming will be used by players to extend their reach. "It's about playing games that you purchased for other platforms," he told TechNewsWorld.
"It's a year where more consumers will get exposed to cloud gaming and see how well it works," he continued. "It may set the stage for shifting more of their gaming to the cloud in the coming years."
Hanich added that cloud gaming might add to revenues from game sales of game developers.
"Participating in a gaming subscription catalogue may actually boost a title's revenue, since it'll get the game in front of more players who may not have purchased it on their own," she said.
"Plus," she continued, "with what we've heard from Microsoft, many times people who play a game on Game Pass will also go and buy that game later so they won't lose access to it if it's rotated out of the Game Pass catalogue."
