Tag Archives: steve perlman

Opinion: OnLive is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma

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OnLive was the first high-profile advocate of a newfangled concept called “cloud games.” With the company on the ropes, Chris Morris examines the unanswered questions surrounding OnLive’s future.

Whatever becomes of OnLive in the months and years to come, one thing is certain: Its handling of its ongoing transition (or rebirth or metamorphosis — whatever you choose to call it) is going to go down in the halls of video game infamy.

It’s a change that, in terms of confusion, has been handled about as well as the early days of the Sony hacking incident and the 2010 “shut down”/rebirth of Good Old Games. And while there is more solid information today than there was when word of the mass layoffs came about on Friday, there are still plenty on unanswered questions.

Read more at Gamasutra

The Money Making Game #3: Is OnLive the Next Big Thing?

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We certainly have no problem getting caught up in the fun of playing games, but the people who create them have their pocketbooks to worry about, too. In this column, finance expert and GameSpy contributor Chris Morris guides you through the tricky corridors the gaming industry’s financial side, touching on big-time business decisions and how they matter to the common gamer.

OnLive’s initial announcement of its self-titled, gaming-on-demand service prompted a lot of skepticism. With vaporware services like Phantom still fresh on the brain, gamers didn’t trust the company’s claims of immediate streaming and strong publisher support.

Even the inclusion of CEO Steve Perlman — who previously led development on the technology behind QuickTime and founded WebTV — didn’t do much to lower eyebrows about the project. Infinium Labs’ Phantom, you’ll recall, had Xbox co-founder Kevin Bachus running the show.

Read more at GameSpy