Sony Acquires Gaikai, World's Largest Cloud Gaming Service

Sony may be reeling, but it still has quite a bit of cash stored up from prior years of success. And spend it will. The company has just forked out $380 million in order to acquire Gaikai Inc., a cloud gaming company that was just getting ready to blow up here in the U.S. Now, Sony is snapping up world's largest interactive cloud gaming company for its own uses, with the price tag to match. According to Sony, it'll use this to "establish a new cloud service, ensuring that it continues to provide users with truly innovative and immersive interactive entertainment experiences." It's tough to say what this means for existing users, but it's also notable that Sony's planning to use it right away. Perhaps for the PS4?

"By combining Gaikai's resources including its technological strength and engineering talent with SCE's extensive game platform knowledge and experience, SCE will provide users with unparalleled cloud entertainment experiences," said Andrew House, President and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. "SCE will deliver a world-class cloud-streaming service that allows users to instantly enjoy a broad array of content ranging from immersive core games with rich graphics to casual content anytime, anywhere on a variety of internet-connected devices."


Cloud gaming has taken off in recent years, mostly in lockstep with users gaining faster and faster internet connections. Sony's PSN famously went offline for a time due to hacking, but hopefully it'll have better luck securing its new goods.