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Well, we can honestly say we didn't see this coming when we woke up this morning. Well, maybe Arvind did. The rest of us didn't.
Two of the biggest technology - and gaming - giants in the world, Microsoft and Sony, announced today that they had come together to form a partnership regarding cloud computing. According to the statement released by Microsoft earlier today, both companies will be working together to help develop the Microsoft Azule service.
According to the statement, both companies "will explore joint development of future cloud solutions in Microsoft Azure to support their respective game and content-streaming services." That not only means that future streaming-based products from both companies will be powered by Azule, but all of Sony's current streaming features will too. The two companies "aim to deliver more enhanced entertainment experiences for their worldwide customers."
Chances are, this partnership is partly influenced by Google's new foray into cloud gaming, Stadia. When it comes to streaming and cloud-based services, Google has a leg up on both companies. A partnership between the pair means they're both able to compete in what seems to be becoming a vastly growing and important market.
Part of Google's strategy with Stadia is to use their video service... well, the video service... YouTube in order to allow users to share and stream their gaming content across the Internet. Part of the announcement focuses on "building better development platforms for the content creator community." Whether that means a new video-sharing service similar to YouTube or something else entirely remains to be seen.
In fact, a lot remains to be seen with regards to this new partnership. It's probably a safe bet that Microsoft's focus at E3 2019 next month - where they've promised to "go big" - will feature this new partnership. Microsoft have said both themselves and Sony would "share additional information when available," and there's a good chance that the "when" will be next month in Los Angeles.
(h/t to The Verge)
What are your thoughts on this partnership? Let us know in the comments below!
