What you need to know
- NVIDIA GeForce NOW is a game streaming service just released to the public.
- It's run into some trouble with major publishers backing out of the service.
- Epic Games, the company behind Fortnite and many others, is endorsing the service.
- They say the streaming platform is more gamer and developer-friendly than the alternatives.
Game streaming is all the rage these days, and NVIDIA GeForce NOW joins Google Stadia as the second major platform to launch completely to the public. Tim Sweeny, CEO of Epic Games, has come out on Twitter and publically endorsed the service, saying that Epic Games is "wholeheartedly supporting NVIDIA's Geforce NOW service" and plans to bring Fortnite and a whole host of other Epic Games Store titles to the service, including exclusives. Tim goes on to say he believes NVIDIA's decision to impose no fee or tax on game revenue on their service makes it much friendlier for developers and publishers like other game streaming services.
Epic is wholeheartedly supporting NVIDIA’s GeForce NOW service with Fortnite and with Epic Games Store titles that choose to participate (including exclusives), and we’ll be improving the integration over time.Epic is wholeheartedly supporting NVIDIA’s GeForce NOW service with Fortnite and with Epic Games Store titles that choose to participate (including exclusives), and we’ll be improving the integration over time.— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) March 7, 2020March 7, 2020
This comes after several major publishers have backed out of GeForce NOW, including Activision-Blizzard and 2K Games. The reasons for these removals have changed, and sometimes very little reason is given at all. Since GeForce now isn't a storefront, but rather just a way to play games you've already purchased on more devices, the decisions have left a sour taste in some gamers' mouths.
Tim Sweeney reinforces his stance by claiming that GeForce NOW and other similar services could be the answer to the 30% cut on revenue imposed by Apple and Google in their respective app stores, and that iOS blocking services like GeForce NOW is "megalomaniacal and won't stand." It remains to be seen how NVIDIA will respond to recent events, and how GeForce NOW will evolve in the future. Whatever the case, Epic Games' declaration of support is certainly a big win for NVIDIA's budding game streaming service just when it needs a boost.
