Square Enix has announced a new initiative to develop a cloud gaming architecture called Project Flare. Ubisoft has been enlisted to partner in the project, which Square Enix purports to “revolutionize the way users will interact with content.”
Project Flare will enable cloud processing for animation, AI, and physics. Square Enix claims that the technology is both cost-efficient and scalable as the game images are streamed like video.
This sounds similar to OnLive’s method of delivering game experiences. In that scenario, the content is run from the server and streamed to the screen, whether that’s a computer or mobile device.
Ubisoft will be leveraging its “Arcus” technology, which also utilizes the cloud to deliver gaming experiences. The pair are currently seeking additional partners and developers. This is the second major initiative Square Enix has announced in a month. The first was "Collective," a crowdfunding platform.
Our Take
I’m not sold on cloud-based gaming. My experiences with OnLive evidenced input lag and variable visual fidelity. If Sony’s Gaikai service or Square Enix’s Project Flare can evidence a gaming environment that offers negligible input lag and consistent image quality, I’m more than willing to give it a try. So far though, there isn’t evidence of such a method working.