After Resident Evil 7 On Switch, Capcom May Release More Cloud-Based Games In Japan

Capcom brought Resident Evil 7 to Nintendo Switch in Japan as a streaming-only game. This seems to have been an experiment of sorts, as the Japanese publisher is now apparently considering bringing some of its other games to the Switch in cloud form in Japan. A spokesperson for the company told the Wall Street Journal that Capcom will make announcements about other cloud games for Switch after it gets a look at the numbers and other metrics for Resident Evil 7.

Sources told WSJ that Capcom is already looking at "other titles" to bring to Japan as streaming-only games. However, it's not clear what these other games are or when they might be released. Presumably they will be ports, just like Resident Evil 7, but this is not confirmed.

One of the benefits of streaming games from the cloud instead of playing them locally is that it allows the Switch, which is underpowered compared to PS4 and Xbox One, to play more graphically and technically demanding games. However, as with other streaming services like PlayStation Now, the quality of your experience will depend on the strength and reliability of your internet connection.

For Resident Evil 7 on Switch, another matter is that Capcom effectively only rents you the game. For that game, Capcom charged about $18 for 180 days of play. It remains to be seen if the same pricing structure would be implemented for future releases.

Whatever the case, many are predicting that streaming is going to become increasingly popular in the coming years. Electronic Arts recently acquired a streaming company to help with its own streaming ambitions, while Xbox has already confirmed it is working on a game-streaming service that has not yet been announced. Xbox boss Phil Spencer says Microsoft's streaming service will offer "console-quality" gaming on "any device." And of course, Sony already has its own streaming service in PlayStation Now.

Take-Two Strauss Zelnick said recently that he believes game-streaming will truly take off in the next 1-3 years.

What do you think about streaming to play games? Let us know in the comments below!