Project xCloud Will Be A Key Part Of Facebook Partnership, Suggests Microsoft

Microsoft announced yesterday that it's shutting down its Mixer streaming service on July 22, and that it's also teaming up with Facebook to enable to the Mixer community to transition to Facebook Gaming.

As part of this, Xbox head Phil Spencer talked more about how Project xCloud will be integrated as part of Facebook in the future, with the company planning to debut "click-to-play scenarios" within the Facebook Gaming and Instagram communities through the power of the service:

"Gaming is already part of our social fabric, and Project xCloud can take you from discussing a new game – whether it’s a funny in-game moment posted by a friend, an ad, or an ongoing stream – directly to playing it. In the future, through the power of Xbox Live and Project xCloud, we see there being just one click between 'I’m watching' and 'I’m playing.'"

In the meantime, we will continue to invest time, energy, and resources to bring Project xCloud to global scale through Azure. We’re always testing new features and learning, and we’re excited to explore further as we look to debut click-to-play scenarios within the Facebook Gaming and Instagram communities.

In a follow-up interview with The Verge, Spencer explained that the new deal with Facebook Gaming was "about finding a partnership that was the best things for the [Mixer] community and streamers,” and noted that it'll naturally be a great place to launch more Project xCloud content due to its large user base:

“When we think about xCloud and the opportunity to unlock gameplay for 2 billion players, we know it’s going be critically important that our services find large audiences and Facebook clearly gives us that opportunity."

Do you think Facebook Gaming will be beneficial for Project xCloud? Share your thoughts below.

[source theverge.com, via news.xbox.com]