Square Enix new cloud service “selfish and obvious” way to attract customers

Square Enix has taken an honest approach to the rationale behind their new cloud gaming service Core Online, saying it’s a “selfish and obvious” ploy to get more people playing the company’s games.

Games currently on offer since last week’s launch are Hitman: Blood Money and Mini Ninjas, with Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, Tomb Raider Underworld and Gyromancer following shortly.

Square Enix Europe boss Phil Rogers explained the goals of the service.

“Take Mini-Ninjas. We think it should be played by multiple millions of people and actually it’s not, it’s played by single millions of people.

“So how can we expose it to a broader audience? Technically how can we do that – is it possible by re-working the code? What sort of service and delivery platforms can we build around it.

“Very much on that innovative experimental axis, that’s how we started it. We believe in our games, we believe that the more people that can find and play our games, the better.”

The beginning of Square Enix’s service comes in the wake of news of OnLive’s collapse, with a new investor being brought in and half the staff being shown the door. Rogers, however, is unconcerned.

“I guess in some ways we’ve been travelling fast. There’s been a lot written about the OnLive situation – often pioneers end up in a position where they get shot in the back,” Rogers said.

“It’s very hard to work out exactly what went on but I think it comes down to the fundamental view that giving customers more choice, new ways to play and new ways to pay – increasingly we’re thinking about the business model – I’m not saying it has to work, but there must be some logic there. Maybe there are operational things that we need to avoid.”

Core Online will be funded by advertising – a concept Roger admits people will either love or hate.

“Frankly speaking some people say, ‘I could love this, play for free and watch adverts, why not, I do it with TV.’ Other people can’t think of anything worse. I think that sort of binary reaction is something that we have to expect from an industry where there’s increasingly choice and more opportunities for people,” he said.