GameFly announces new game streaming service for Amazon Fire TV
GameFly, the video game rent-by-mail service, has long been compared to Netflix, at least, back when they mailed us DVDs. Now the company has made a new step towards becoming the gaming equivalent of the Netflix that focuses on streaming. Along with announcing their acquisition of Playcast, GameFly is launching a new game streaming service exclusively on Amazon's Fire TV. And they're not talking about the kind of games you'd find a smartphone, but big-name titles including the Batman Arkham series, Hitman, Darksiders, Red Faction, and games from the various LEGO franchises.
This is a big win for the Amazon Fire TV, as game streaming is something that isn't offered on rivals such as the Apple TV, Chromecast, or Roku. GameFly says the service will launch later this year*, powered by Playcast, and eventually make its way to other devices like smart TVs.
*EDIT: Available immediately!
The game streaming service will also be unique in its pricing models, as instead of a buffet of content for one monthly fee, users can rent different bundles of select games for $6.99 per month. There will be six bundles available at launch, each with seven games loosely grouped by theme. Serious gamers will be more interested in the premium bundle, which offers 16 games for $9.99 per month. Titles included in the different bundles are listed below.
Action Pack (7 titles) – $6.99/month includes F.E.A.R. 3, Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising, Red Faction: Armageddon, Red Faction: Guerilla, Mafia II, Sleeping Dogs, and Hitman
Adventure Pack (7 titles) – $6.99/month includes Dark Void, Overlord II, Darksiders, Darksiders II, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Batman: Arkham City, and Batman: Arkham OriginsSpeed Pack (7 titles) – $6.99/month includes Ace Combat, Dirt 3, GRID, GRID 2, MotoGP13, Ridge Racer Unbounded, and WRC 4Fun Pack (7 titles) – $6.99/month includes Flock!, PAC-MAN Championship Edition, PAC-MAN and the Ghostly Adventures, LEGO Harry Potter Years 5-7, Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams, Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams – Rise of the Owlverlord, and BlazBlue: Calamity TriggerLego Pack (7 titles) – $6.99/month includes LEGO Batman, LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes, LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, LEGO Lord of the Rings, LEGO Harry Potter 5-7, LEGO Marvel: Super Heroes, and LEGO The HobbitGamer Pack (16 titles) – $9.99/month includes F.E.A.R.3, Red Faction:Armageddon, Red Faction: Guerilla, Sleeping Dogs, Hitman, Darksiders, Darksiders II, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Batman: Arkham City, Batman: Arkham Origins, Shank, Shank 2, Dark Void, Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising, Mafia II, and Overlord II
Games can be played for as long as a user likes, however using GameFly's service will require buying a $40 Amazon Fire TV Game Controller.
While the titles included so far aren't the latest blockbusters hitting the PS4 and Xbox One, GameFly's service is definitely ambitious. The company notes that it wants to build "the world's premier multi-platform, console-quality streaming video game service." Hopefully it won't turn out like OnLive's attempt, which never took off and eventually saw the company shut down.
SOURCE GameFly