Electronic Arts Acquires GameFly's Cloud Streaming Tech

Electronic Arts made a rather surprising announcement today, revealing that it has acquired GameFly's cloud gaming assets and its personnel. We have, of course, heard a lot of talk about game streaming in recent years, with many big players in the games industry either considering a streaming service of their own or already trying their hand at it. It looks like we can add EA to that list as of today.

Notably, however, this acquisition doesn't involve GameFly's streaming service, so EA won't be taking the reins there. It appears that GameFly – currently available on smart TVs and through streaming boxes like the Amazon Fire TV – will continue to operate as a service separately from whatever EA plans to do with its new assets.

It isn't hard to figure out what EA has its sights set on, either. In its brief announcement today, EA says that this acquisition will "enable the company to continue exploring new ways for players to access and experience games from any device." In other words, EA wants to make a name for itself in the cloud gaming space, an area only a few companies have succeeded in so far.

EA could very well be looking to bolster its existing services – Origin and EA Access, to be specific – with cloud gaming functionality in the near future. EA Access in particular could make for an excellent home for cloud gaming, as it isn't hard to imagine EA offering cloud features as part of its existing monthly subscription.

We'll just have to wait and see what EA has in store for cloud gaming. It does say that GameFly's team, which is currently based in Israel, will join its functional teams, but beyond that, it offers no clue as to what its plans are. We'll keep an ear to the ground for more, so stay tuned.