2020: Cloud gaming’s gathering storm

Mobile gaming and cloud gaming platforms are now vital contributors to the video game industry’s expansion. According to recent data, the cloud gaming market rose from an estimated $45 million in 2017 to $66 million in 2018. If this trend continues, that figure is predicted to skyrocket to $450 million by 2023. As major players like Apple, Google, and Microsoft flood the cloud gaming space with new offerings, lesser-known platforms have also begun to garner attention in a show of industry momentum. For instance, Nvidia GeForce Now and PlayStation Now are two of several options offering cloud gaming functionality. But what exactly is cloud gaming, and why is it on the rise? To answer this question, it’s important to break down the basics of the underlying infrastructure.