Google onboards SuperGaming to offer game developers engine on cloud

Google, under its Google Cloud division, has announced a partnership with homegrown gaming startup SuperGaming. As part of the partnership, SuperGaming’s game engine, SuperPlatform, will be available for developers using Google Cloud to build, host and distribute their games. The move comes two years after an initial partnership between SuperGaming and Google in 2020, which saw SuperGaming move its on-cloud resources from Amazon Web Services (AWS) to Google Cloud.

Developers will not be restricted to using only Google Cloud if they use SuperGaming’s resources, but Google’s service would be the ‘preferred’ platform, a joint statement by the two companies affirmed. Financial particulars of the partnership was not disclosed.

SuperGaming’s game engine, SuperPlatform, is presently used by Japan-based developer, Namco, for the popular Pac-Man games on mobile devices. The Pune-based startup, which raised $5.5 million in April last year, is also using its engine to build a homegrown battle royale title, Indus Royale. In July this year, the company also used its engine to launch TowerConquest: Metaverse Edition, a free to earn web3 mobile game.

A joint statement from the two parties said that game developers on Google Cloud will be able to access SuperGaming’s resources to “manage live ops, matchmaking, player progression, player data, analytics, monetization systems, server scaling, sales, and merchandising.” The latter’s platform can also be integrated with other game development platforms on Google Cloud.

To be sure, existing users of SuperGaming can continue using alternate cloud platforms, such as AWS or Microsoft Azure, to develop using the company’s tools.

The SuperPlatform game engine will be offered to developers as an independent software vendor, from Google Cloud’s myriad service offerings.

The move comes in a rather conflicting phase of time for Google and its tryst with gaming. While Stadia, its big play to take on Microsoft and Sony with its own cloud-based remote gaming service, is set to be officially discontinued in January, Google has continued to invest in gaming ventures — particularly mobile-first ones — such as South African mobile game distribution major, Carry1st.

The company has also stated over time that it would continue to invest in Indian ventures across industries, and its latest onboarding of SuperGaming as a partner marks a new push to find better footing in the global gaming market.