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My writing streak came to an abrupt end last Wednesday.
I had a lot on my plate and could not hit the Send button on the newsletter.
Then, this weekend, I got caught watching Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) on Netflix ($NFLX).
Based on a popular graphic novel series, the film was directed by Edgar Wright, had a brilliant young cast, and arrived shortly after the birth of Marvel Cinematic Universe ($DIS)… except without the box office success.
There are a ton of pop culture and video game references throughout the movie, which makes it rewatchable for a particular generation and/or a niche audience.
Tomorrow, Alphabet (okay, Google) will reveal a lot of details of a project that’s really flown under the radar if you are not a gamer… Google Yeti:
“It’s looking more and more likely that Google Yeti won’t be a console per se, but a Netflix-style game streaming service. Rumors of such a service have been bubbling around for over a year now, but thanks to signs like Project Stream (more on that in a minute) and a new patent leak, they’re gathering more steam now ahead of the upcoming event. The rumors go that Google Yeti is a ‘subscription-based streaming service’ that would stream games to Google Chromecast, as originally leaked by The Information.
Basically, you’d be able to play any games available on the service, simply by streaming them to your TV and picking up your Google Yeti controller, a bit like bingeing the entirety of The Umbrella Academy on Netflix in one night, but instead, it’s an entire indie game. You don’t have to physically (or digitally) own the game, you’re just streaming it under your Google Yeti subscription. It’s stored somewhere on a remote server elsewhere in the world, and you’re just playing the game through the dedicated app/subscription service.”
Amazon ($AMZN) has its viewers tuned in to Twitch while Microsoft ($MSFT) has an impressive base of over 60 million monthly active users on Xbox Live:
And not to be outdone, Alibaba ($BABA) made a credible partnership with the NBA this month to put another international stamp of approval on its brand name:
“An ‘NBA Section’ will be launched across Alibaba’s platforms. The Section will leverage Alibaba’s technology and consumer insights, allowing fans in China to enjoy personalized and engaging content, in addition to shopping for NBA merchandise all in one ecosystem.
NBA game highlights, original programming, and classic NBA games will be offered to nearly 700 million consumers across Alibaba’s platforms, including leading B2C marketplace Tmall, social commerce destination Taobao, video-streaming platform Youku and browser and content platform UC.”
It is far from Game Over for the pairing of Google and gaming.
Here’s a bit of what might be in store for us tomorrow:
