Cloud gaming platform LiquidSky has released its all-new Android app, which allows mobile users to access and play their favorite PC games from anywhere. Not everyone can afford the PC rig of their dreams, so LiquidSky offers both free and pay-as-you-go access to a virtual computer that’s decked out with all the bells and whistles.
Jason Kirby, LiquidSky’s chief revenue officer joined AlistDaily to explain how combining two gaming platforms changes everything for marketing.
“We are working with advertisers to largely target the young adult gaming market in a new and creative way across multiple devices,” said Kirby. “As most advertisers know, this can be very difficult to do. Because our app is downloaded and works across multiple devices, we give advertisers that relatively elusive opportunity.
“A simple example might be that traditionally, it made less sense to target mobile devices with advertising focused on Windows PC titles because it was presumed that mobile gamers didn’t necessarily play PC games. That’s now no longer the case.”
On LiquidSky, gamers rent time on a “sky computer” with SkyCredits, which can be purchased or earned through rewarded ads—a business model Kirby feels will benefit both marketers and customers alike.
“From a customer experience perspective, our focus is the delivery of highly engaging, opt-in experiences that also reward our customers,” he explained. “To do so, we’ve designed a model where our customers will never be interrupted during their gameplay—but can top off their SkyCredits as needed, and then continue gaming.”
At $41 billion, mobile games were by far the most lucrative form of interactive entertainment in 2016, followed by PC games at $34 billion. LiquidSky hopes to tap into these top gaming revenue streams by raising the bar for what’s possible on mobile.
“Until [now], mobile gaming typically meant compromise, with games that often lacked the breadth and scope of their big-screen cousins,” Kirby said. “With LiquidSky’s technology, gamers are no longer tethered to their desktops or consoles to play the best games. Instead, they can do so pretty much anytime and anywhere—and don’t even need to own expensive or specialized gaming hardware.”
LiquidSky’s Android beta means an entirely new direction for marketing the service.
“We have now turned our core focus to mobile,” said Kirby. “Delivering enhanced PC gaming capabilities to Windows PC devices that were not initially designed or powerful enough for high-quality gaming is one thing. Empowering gamers previously limited to much simpler mobile games on their Android devices and providing them instant access to the entire PC gaming catalog is a much bigger deal. We think that’s the beginning of a major paradigm shift where platform matters very little in terms of the games one can enjoy (or when and where they can be enjoyed).
“Something that makes LiquidSky truly unique is the experience we deliver on Android devices. Our current focus is to emphasize this in our marketing efforts, as gamers can now choose where and when to enjoy their favorite games—no longer held back by whether they have the latest desktop hardware or a gaming laptop.
“You will see most of our advertising targeting Android users, letting them know that it’s perfectly okay to expect to be able to enjoy AAA PC gaming content wherever and whenever they want—and mobile devices are a huge factor in that universal accessibility.”
Users with a LiquidSky account can access their PC libraries through Origin, Blizzard, Chrome or Steam, which means they can compete against friends anywhere with the Android app . . . although for best results, they recommend using a controller.
LiquidSky is still in beta but continues on its journey for a PC experience that can be played across more platforms.
“As mobile is a key focus for us, we do plan to support iOS, but it’s on the longer-term road map at this time. The current near-term priority is to complete work on the Mac OS X client next, then to add support for Android TV.”
