Samsung launches free mobile cloud gaming platform for Galaxy devices

Samsung has launched a free mobile gaming platform across its Galaxy devices in North America.

The mobile manufacturer has been trialling the streaming service in a beta since last year using a Game Launcher app, now renamed Samsung Gaming Hub.

There will be 23 games available at launch, including free-to-play hits such as Monopoly Go, Candy Crush Saga, Homescapes and Honor of Kings.

All games will be freely available, with Samsung’s vice president and head of game services Jong Woo telling GamesIndustry.biz: “Unlike other cloud services, there is no content gated behind a paywall and no monthly subscriptions for users to access these games via our cloud streaming tech.”

Games are accessed via links distributed via Galaxy Store listings, Samsung Gaming Hub, or ads. The Galaxy Store, which comes pre-installed on all Samsung phones and tablets, will serve as the runtime client.

Samsung claims that 50% of the players who clicked on a mobile cloud game ad or listing during the beta went on to play the title linked.

Woo added that he believes the lack of friction cloud gaming provides, without the need for downloads, will help Samsung “significantly disrupt how game publishers scale their mobile games.”

The electronics firm has already been venturing into the cloud gaming space via its Smart TVs through a key partnership with Xbox, as well as other services such as Boosteroid.

It previously experimented with a games streaming service for PC and select Galaxy hardware called PlayGalaxy Link, but this was shut down before it even launched.