Game works with OnLive for UK launch

Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - 11:55 by Graham Miller

The e-commerce outlet from videogame retail giant, Game, is set to support the arrival of streaming service, OnLive, as it makes its UK debut this month.

OnLive started life in America, allowing gamers to stream their favourite titles direct from server farms rather than buying a physical copy to install on their PCs or play on their consoles.

Now it is available in the UK for the first time, with its launch last week seeing a major push to allow consumers to carry out safe shopping online, without having to pay for a product in the traditional sense.

Game is using its online presence to help promote OnLive in the UK, giving users the impetus to sign up for the service and take advantage of some short term offers which will let them play as much as they like and pay less for the privilege.

Until early October you can buy a PlayPass for an OnLive title, which will let you access any game whenever you like for just £1. The £6.99 monthly subscription gives you unlimited access to a library of more than 100 games and because there is no need to buy any hardware or have a high powered PC to play via OnLive, the price of usership is very low.

Game is allowing its reward card customers to buy games via OnLive's shopping online service using the points they have earned in-store. Given that the high street outlets of this retailer have seen a decline in sales, it makes sense for it to take this multichannel approach and partner with potentially successful firms to ensure its future viability as a business.

While the sale of physical game discs and digital downloads is unlikely to halt for some time, the fact that Game is backing OnLive suggests that it can already see what lies ahead for the industry in the UK.