WebRTC Expert Feature

September 30, 2020

How Can WebRTC Advance the Changing Face of the Gaming Industry?


This year has been a year like no other for the gaming industry. Revolutions within game development – and, of course, gameplay itself – have paved the way for a new decade fuelled by innovation, creativity, and the rapid advancement of an industry already anticipated to be worth in excess of $256 billion in just five years’ time.

These advancements are bursting onto the gaming scene from all angles. From the tech giants investing millions into developing a new generation of hardware capable of more power and clarity than we ever thought possible, to the continued dedication of creatives and game developers working to consistently augment – and improve – the considerable libraries of games on offer to players who are now more discerning than ever before.

So, how can – or, more accurately, how does – WebRTC fit into the equation, and how can it be deployed in order to contribute further to the rapidly evolving face of the gaming industry? Read more below. 

PC Gaming Online: The Forefront of the Industry

The realm of PC gaming – particularly online – has long been able to stake its claim for the lion’s share of the industry as a whole. From live streaming to those perennial games, such as League of Legends and Mega Moolah in NZ from casino.com, the creators behind some of the most impactful games are noticing more demand than ever before for high quality, immersive online games that deliver a seamless experience for players.

It is for this reason that game streaming – now gradually emerging onto the scene in the form of cloud based gaming services such Google’s Stadia project – looks ready to take centre stage in the world of online gaming. It offers an instantaneous, versatile level of access that has not yet been seen before, and which promises to permanently reshape the ways in which we play.

How Does WebRTC Align with the Priorities of the Gaming Industry in 2020?

Though the wide and diverse scope of gaming features many distinct and disparate niches, each one is united by its emphasis on a few key priorities for current and future trends: crystal clear graphics, minimal latency, and instant access to live, online gameplay.

WebRTC stands as that crucial ingredient; we have already been able to see how it is capable of supporting a robust, largescale streaming service – Google Stadia – minimising latency and delivering to the player a powerful, uninterrupted service unhindered by congestion or long waits for buffering. As players grow more used to seamless gameplay, any latency at all – even in quantities that, just a few short years ago, would have been deemed minimal – stands out like a sore thumb.

What Does the Future Hold?

Both the world of gaming as a whole, and the applications WebRTC holds for it, stand at a pivotal moment. As we head towards an entirely new landscape for gaming – in particular, live streaming free from the constraints of discs or wallet busing gaming setups – real-time communications are already playing a crucial role in the deployment of leading cloud based services.

The next few months will no doubt reveal plenty more about developers’ projections for the future. And, as other cloud based gaming services grow their libraries and user bases, Google’s deployment of WebRTC in its Stadia project will likely continue to grow in significance – and, of course, scope.



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