The streaming game service OnLive suddenly froze up and fell over last week, losing a great many of its workforce in massive layoffs. The remains of the company were apparently bought up by a mysterious backer, leaving OnLive’s status as a living creature in some doubt. As a service, OnLive allowed gamers to play from a central server that streamed games as needed. The result was a smooth experience without having to download gigs and gigs of game before playing. While the service attracted some strong titles, like Assassin’s Creed and Bioshock, it stumbled on the part where they had to convince gamers to give them money. What is the future for OnLive and streaming games? CNN Money has the story.
It sure was nice of OnLive to keep its employees in the loop, instead of throwing down sudden layoffs late on a Friday. Oh wait. The part where they aren’t willing to reveal who bought them is also just a little disconcerting.
Isn’t the game industry a fun place?