Walmart was actively developing a cloud-based gaming service that could rival Google Stadia, GeForce Now, and Microsoft xCloud, called ‘Project Storm’. The ongoing court battle between EPIC Games and Apple Inc. has revealed the retail giant was planning to sell a ‘crazy’ cheap controller attachment clip as well.
Several confidential emails, currently a part of the ongoing EPIC Games Vs. Apple Inc. case has revealed that Walmart was deep into the development of a cloud gaming service, codenamed ‘Project Storm’. The retail giant apparently wanted to offer Fortnite and hence, had pitched the idea to EPIC Games.
Walmart Project Storm cloud-gaming service details:
An exhibit in the Epic Games v. Apple trial has revealed Walmart’s efforts to pitch its cloud gaming service to EPIC Games and get Fortnite on board. Speaking about the experience, EPIC Games co-founder Mark Rein said in an email thread from April 2019:
“I played Walmart’s demo on an Android phone (with an Xbox controller) and the experience felt like playing on PS4 and superior to playing on Android or iOS.”
Walmart has been working on an unannounced game streaming service, codenamed Project Storm
According to Verge sources, the launch has been put on hold due to the pandemic and it is not clear whether this will turn into an actual commercial producthttps://t.co/QFKDy3h0dt pic.twitter.com/jWsOcaRFVK
— Nibel (@Nibellion) May 4, 2021
Rein also shared a photo of a “gaming clip” with the rest of the EPIC Games executive team. He mentioned Walmart was planning to sell this clip to attach a controller to a smartphone. “They’re going to sell the clip for a crazy low amount, they were saying something like $2,” indicated Rein.
Walmart pitched an unannounced cloud gaming service, "Project Storm" to Epic Games (Fortnite) which had been worked on an since 2019.
Details were surfaced from an exhibit in the 𝑬𝒑𝒊𝒄 𝑮𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒗. 𝑨𝒑𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒍.https://t.co/0ZRevsGUQr@verge by @tomwarren pic.twitter.com/a9rhfnF1IE
— PlayerIGN (@PlayerIGN) May 4, 2021
It seems EPIC Games is not the only company Walmart approached. The retail giant has reportedly approached quite a few game publishers for its virtual marketplace.
It seems Walmart was planning to offer the service for Windows 10 desktop PCs, and quite possibly, Android and iOS smartphones. On the Windows 10 OS, Walmart would work with third-party game launchers like Steam, Uplay, Origin, Epic Games Store, Battle.net, and Bethesda Launcher.
When will Walmart launch its own cloud gaming service?
Walmart seems to have taken a mixed approach to cloud gaming services. It seems the company wanted an “open ecosystem”.
It basically means Walmart was reportedly open to the idea of offering streaming as well as a local install. In other words, subscribers could stream their games or gaming session from the Walmart Project Storm cloud. Alternatively, they could simply download the entire game, install the same on their supported devices, and play.
Documents in the Epic Games vs Apple Lawsuit revealed Walmart's Project Storm https://t.co/vcjS17TSmT
— TechRaptor (@TechRaptr) May 4, 2021
LiquidSky, a service Walmart had acquired, was supposed to be the main backend for Project Storm. The company essentially relied on IBM Cloud’s physical servers and NVIDIA GPUs. The service seemed to be going after cloud gaming for PC owners running Windows 10 before Walmart’s acquistion.
An open ecosystem for cloud gaming might seem odd. However, Walmart is a brick-and-mortar store going after the highly lucrative gaming marketplace. Hence, the retail giant may have envisioned a multi-outlet and service-based gaming platform.
A highly confidential walmart document was also amongst the documents in the court case
apparently walmart is working on a cloud gaming platform, similar to geforce now..?
code named Project Storm pic.twitter.com/yXDnog9rtD
— lucas – on that stupid genie site (@LucasIsPersonal) May 4, 2021
Some publishers and developers had reportedly signed up to produce or host games on Walmart’s service. However, Walmart seems to have hit the pause button. Needless to mention, the ongoing situation may have worked in favor of Walmart.
Incidentally, EPIC Games has partnered with NVIDIA. As a result, Fortnite is available on GeForce Now. Interestingly, Apple iPhone owners can rely on such services to play multiple games on iOS.