Report: Amazon plans to announce long-rumored game streaming service in 2020

Amazon reportedly has plans to announce a Stadia and xCloud-like game streaming service in 2020, building on rumors that circulated following new job postings and comments from sources in the know earlier this year.

According to a recent cloud gaming rundown by Cnet, two sources familiar with Amazon’s innerworkings say that current plans see the service being officially announced next year, an admittedly slight update from earlier rumors that said the service was planned to launch in 2020.

Cnet’s sources also say that Amazon has been recruiting staff from companies like Microsoft to ready the service. It also points out that a job posting about the vague “new initiative” notes the streaming service will work with Twitch and other Amazon-owned services in some way.

Similar rumors circulated in January of this year, though cloud gaming platforms have become more tangible in the months since those first whispers through the recent launch of Google Stadia and preview period for Xbox’s Project xCloud. Though as that side of the game industry continues to expand, and especially in the wake of Stadia’s somewhat turbulent launch, it’s becoming clear that any new game streaming services will need a strong hook to win over audiences already content with physical consoles or other cloud-based offerings.