South Korean operator SK Telecom and Microsoft have signed a partnership agreement to deliver 5G-based cloud gaming in Korea. SK Telecom will be the exclusive operating partner of Microsoft’s cloud gaming service in Korea. The two companies also plan to jointly start a public preview for Project xCloud in October. Project xCloud is Microsoft’s game streaming service, designed to allow gamers to play games on mobile devices while connected to the internet. The cloud gaming service will be supported by SK Telecom’s 5G and LTE network.
As joint operating partners, SK Telecom and Microsoft plan to test and learn more about game streaming in the Korean market. To this end, the two companies will start public preview for Project xCloud in Korea in October 2019 for selected SK Telecom’s 5G/LTE subscribers.
Back in May this year, SK Telecom and Microsoft signed a MoU to boost their cooperation in 5G, artificial intelligence and cloud computing.
According to a report from the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), the domestic game market in 2017 was worth KRW 13.14 trillion and the mobile game market took up 47.3 percent of the total game market.
SK Telecom recently announced it has passed the milestone of 1 million 5G subscribers in the first 140 days since the launch of its 5G network on 3 April. The company’s 5G subscribers currently account for more than 3.5 percent of SK Telecom’s total subscriber base of 28 million. Back in July, the operator introduced three 5G AR and VR services for eSports games fans. Dubbed ‘Jump AR’, ‘LCK* VR Live Broadcasting’ and ‘VR Replay’, the three services are designed to provide a realistic and immersive experience when watching eSports games.
Market competitor LG Uplus also announced plans to launch a cloud-based virtual reality gaming service this year. The VR service will use the Uplus 5G network. LG Uplus, in partnership with other developers, plans to offer VR games for head-mounted displays connected to its 5G network.
