LG Uplus’ cloud platform for games

LG Uplus, the smallest of Korea’s telecom companies, has launched a cloud platform where users can access games that can be played on personal computers and smartphones.

In a media presentation on Wednesday, LG Uplus vice president Chun Byung-wook unveiled the “C-Games” cloud platform with its strategic partners ― Korea Game Developers Association, Ubitus, a Taiwan-based software developer for cloud platforms, and Nvidia, a U.S. graphic processors developer.

This marks the first time for a Korean company to venture into the cloud-based content business that aims to provide a “new way to play games” and replace traditional game consoles such as PlayStation and Xbox, LG Uplus officials said.

The platform will store games provided by developers and publishers for LG Uplus customers who do not need to download them, but simply log-in and play via its streaming services, Chun said.

Game developers and publishers can upload the same content they did for other platforms, without having to reconfigure before putting them on LG Uplus C-Games.

LG Uplus’ nationwide Long Term Evolution networks have made it possible to establish the “download-free and installation-free” infrastructure for users to play cloud-based streaming games that have high-definition resolution and carry a large amount of data.

The company will make the platform open-source so that customers of SK Telecom and KT, Korea’s two biggest mobile carriers, can also play the games next year.

It also plans to make such games available on smart TVs by September this year. For now, games can be accessed on smartphones and personal computers via the cloud platform.

The platform will also be compatible with Google Chrome browser next year, expanding beyond Windows XP and Explorer 8. C-Games will also be accessible on HTML5 cross-platform mobile applications.

LG Uplus officials said that it will focus on exposing the platform to as many domestic PC and mobile device users as it can before expanding overseas with its partners.

By Park Hyong-ki (hkp@heraldcorp.com)