Yandex has opened a collection of applications for testing the cloud gaming service Plus Gaming

Yandex (MOEX: YNDX) has opened a collection of applications for testing the Plus Gaming service, which allows you to play regardless of computer performance. The company intends to “test product hypotheses” in a segment where a number of services closed in 2023. Experts admit that Yandex is looking for additional ways to monetize the computing power it acquired for business services and training neural networks. The commercial prospects of the project depend on whether it will be possible to attract an audience aged about 30 to the service. Integration with devices and other Yandex services can help here.

Yandex has begun accepting applications for participation in testing the cloud gaming service Plus Gaming, the company told Kommersant. The service allows you to launch 150 games from the Steam and Lesta Games catalogs (Hogwarts Legacy, Counter-Strike 2, World of Tanks, etc.). The Yandex Plus press service added that they are now “testing technologies, checking product hypotheses and audience interest.” A source close to the company clarified that it “sees the interest of paid subscribers in cloud gaming and is also checking the economic model.” The service is currently only available for Windows computers; a version for macOS is planned for this year. Yandex did not answer whether it will be available on other types of devices.

The global market for gaming cloud services and subscriptions (combines in-game subscriptions, paid online services, etc.) in 2023 was estimated at $16 billion, or 11.6% of all spending on video games, Omnia reported in October.

Cloud gaming services allow you to play video games that require powerful computers on low-power devices. Some provide access to the desktop and the ability to install arbitrary applications (for example, for working with video or 3D modeling); This is not the case with Plus Gaming. In 2023, SberPlay and GFN.ru, which operated in the Russian Federation, closed (see “Kommersant” dated August 30, 2023; at the same time, a similar service GFN.am was launched in Armenia).

“Plus Gaming” is charged as you use it, with a one-time payment for connection (the cost depends on the load on the servers, the range is not disclosed) and subsequent payment for game time at a fixed price (80 rubles/hour without a “Plus” subscription and 55 rubles/hour – with subscription). The MTS Fog Play service is charged according to a similar model, but without a start fee; the price of a game hour depends on the specific server. Other services operate on a prepayment model, game watches are sold in packages: in VK Play Cloud the price of an hour ranges from 60 to 80 rubles, in Loudplay – from 55 to 70 rubles. Separately, VK Play Cloud offers unlimited tariffs for a month (from 1 thousand to 3.6 thousand). VK and MTS declined to comment to Kommersant.

Operations Director of the World of Tanks project (Lesta Games) Boris Sinitsky explained to Kommersant that although this video game is “undemanding on PC characteristics,” the developers are “interested in cooperation” with Yandex: “We expect to attract new players. We also hope that the existing audience will have more opportunities to spend time in the game when they don’t have access to a home computer.”

The “pay as you go” model is well suited for the first stage, “this will also allow us to calculate fair parameters for prepayment packages,” notes Loudplay founder Vitaly Starodubov. Yandex, in his opinion, will have to accurately calculate the amount of resources reserved for cloud gaming in order to avoid their downtime outside of peak hours: “Multi-service will be an advantage – the company can use part of the resources during periods of light load for internal needs, for example, for training neural networks.” .

But the opposite situation may also be true, adds Alexander Budkin, IT director of the cloud provider Oxygen: “Yandex has long had a large pool of video cards for its own needs, and now it is probably looking for ways to further monetize them.” Yandex Cloud provides businesses with access to virtual machines with video cards, “but it is quite possible that part of the created infrastructure is not in demand due to low demand and high cost,” Mr. Budkin believes.

The profitability of Plus Gaming, according to Mr. Starodubov, will depend on the chosen target audience: “The most promising are “sleeping” gamers, people about 30 years old, who can be attracted by quick access to the library. Perhaps it would be logical to attract them through cross-promotion with Kinopoisk.” Director of the OCS Distribution Department Vladislav Borodin reminds that the Kinopoisk application on smart TV already has a “Games” section (now there are quizzes): “Therefore, the appearance of games at least on TVs from Yandex looks logical.”

Yuri Litvinenko, Timofey Kornev