News Introducing STEAM Cloud Play (Beta). Opt-In for the Devs, will include future cloud gaming services

[AshenOne]

Introduction:

Steam Cloud Play is currently in Beta and features are being added over time. We are now accepting a limited amount of games into the service as we continue to build features and server capacity for players. The first service we are connecting to Steam to allow users to play games from their Steam Library from the Cloud is
Nvidia GeForce NOW

.There are more details below about how to opt your game(s) into the service as well as answers to a few common questions below.

Currently Nvidia GeForce NOW is available in North America, Western Europe and Asia Pacific. Currently, Steam users will need to download the GeForce Now client and connect their Steam account to the GFN service to play their Steam Library. The user may pay a subscription cost to use the GFN service. Customers will continue to acquire games on Steam the same way they do today, and partner payouts will remain the same.

These cloud services enable Steam users to play their Steam library in the cloud, one game at a time, like they can on their local PC. Developers must manually opt-in the games they wish to make available on GeForce NOW.

Below are instructions that show you how to sign up your game in Steamworks. We are using a whitelist of games that have signed up in Steamworks. Please make sure to take the steps below to ensure your Steam game is approved for GeForce NOW in Steamworks and will be available on the GFN service after it has been checked by NVIDIA.

Cloud Saves:

IMPORTANT:

Each time a user plays a game via Cloud Play they may be playing from a new virtual PC. For this reason it is very important that your game has
Steam Cloud enabled or has a separate online save system of it's own. If your game does not have either online save system, players of your game may lose their progress and saves when playing a game through a Steam Cloud Gaming service.

FAQ:

Will I be paid differently for sales of my game on Steam if it is opted into Steam Cloud Play?
No. You will still be paid the same way you are paid now for your application sales (both package and in game sales). Steam Cloud Play is simply giving Steam users more options on where and how to play their PC games. It is similar to how players play games from their Steam Library through the Steam Remote Play or on an additional computer.

Do I need to do anything special to my game to make it compatible with Steam Cloud Play services?
Fortunately there is very little work to get your game working on a Steam Cloud Gaming Service. You need to sign the addendum, opt each game into the program and ensure your game has either Steam Cloud enabled or it's own online save system. Most the time these are the only requirements. When testing your game, if another issue comes up we will reach out to you to help fix any specific issues.

What is GeForce NOW?
GeForce NOW is NVIDIA’s cloud-based game streaming service, delivering real-time gameplay straight from the cloud to your laptop, desktop, Mac, SHIELD TV, or Android device.

NVIDIA GFN FAQ
NVIDIA GeForce NOW FAQS

What are the supported countries for GeForce NOW?
GeForce NOW is currently available in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. GeForce NOW is currently available in over 80 countries. Visit this knowledge base article https://nvidia.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5023 for a list of supported countries

Will there be other cloud gaming services added to Steam Cloud Play?
We may add additional Steam Cloud Gaming services in the future. At that time we would reach out to you to opt your games into the new service.

More info as to how to sign up for this at:

Steam Cloud Play (Beta) (Steamworks Documentation)

partner.steamgames.com

 

[Deku]

Nice

So Steam will add more services than only Geforce NOW later?

I hope that more devs/publisher will opt-in and not leave the service ever

 

[texhnolyze]

Other than NOW and Stadia, what other cloud gaming services are there?

 

[AshenOne]

Other than NOW and Stadia, what other cloud gaming services are there?

PSNow and a few others in the in the works at square and ubi I THINK.

EDIT: Oh yeah and Microsoft xCloud!

 

[Deku]

Other than NOW and Stadia, what other cloud gaming services are there?

Isn't Microsoft making their own streaming service? Or was it something else they did?

 

[Le Pertti]

My dream would be that all games on steam would be playable by cloud AND that let say I could have game pass PC but that would run through steam so that I got my steam achievements. Seems super unlikely but it also seems steam wants to offer EA access and the like on Steam so maybe.

 

[texhnolyze]

PSNow and a few others in the in the works at square and ubi I THINK.

EDIT: Oh yeah and Microsoft xCloud!

Isn't Microsoft making their own streaming service? Or was it something else they did?

I see.

But this Engadget article implies that by including NOW, Steam is basically taking a side which means Stadia and xCloud are now their competitor. Not sure about PSNow though.

Yes, Steam might be late to the party on this one, but watching and learning from its competitor’s launches — coupled with its already-established clout with gamers — means Steam’s eventual offering could give the likes of Stadia and xCloud a serious run for their money.

Steam improves support for game streaming through GeForce Now

Steam's Cloud Play service is back on the agenda.

www.engadget.com

So, what other cloud gaming services to come to Steam?

 

[FeedMeAStrayCat]

Wonder if Shadow will be a part of this at all, but I'm guessing not?

Regardless, as someone who's main way of playing PC games is via the cloud, I'm excited for the future