Comcast and Electronic Arts are reportedly close to signing an agreement that would allow cable customers to stream games over the company’s X1 set-top box directly from the cloud. The two have been working on such an offering for the past two years according to nearly half a dozen sources as reported by Reuters.
Such a deal could be big business for both companies. Sources told the publication that Comcast wants to make buying new games as simple as ordering a pay-per-view movie while EA would no doubt benefit from yet another revenue stream.
Specific game offerings haven’t been finalized although popular EA franchises like FIFA, Madden, Monopoly and Plants vs. Zombies all appear to be a lock. Gamers could use their existing tablets as controllers, the report claims. The two are said to be focusing on casual and family titles initially before considering action and first-person shooter titles but ultimately, consumers will dictate the type of games they want offered.
Cable providers have been trying virtually everything to prevent customers from cutting the cord in favor of streaming services offered up on devices like Apple TV, Roku boxes and Amazon’s new Fire TV. If gaming is indeed the next step for Comcast, it shouldn’t be all that surprising as a large number of streaming boxes on the market also double as video game systems.
With more than 22 million customers in the US, Comcast has a serious shot at being a viable threat to the home gaming industry if they play their cards right.
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