Samsung phones will lose Google Stadia rival PlayGalaxy later this month

Samsung PlayGalaxy Link: the game streaming service that never was

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WhenSamsungPlayGalaxy Link launched its beta a few months back, it was admittedly with little fanfare – but the announcement of the game streaming service’s incoming closure has been even more quiet.

Loading up thePlayGalaxywebsite now presents an apologetic notification for the service, stating that, “After many difficult discussions, PlayGalaxy Link will be ended on 27 March 2020 due to internal policy changes.”

PlayGalaxy Link had been launched as a cloud gaming service exclusive to Samsung Galaxy smartphone, though we largely assumed it would roll out to other Android phone ranges in the future. Back whenFortnitefirst launched on Android, Samsung Galaxy handsetswere the first to get it, and we didn’t expect Samsung would restrict the audience of the platform forever.

Either way, PlayGalaxy Link is closing, so any Samsung Galaxy owners who had signed up to the beta will lose access to the service after March 27, as per the announcement.

Loud and cloud

It’s unclear exactly what’s being referred to by “internal policy changes”, but it’s likely that PlayGalaxy Link became less of a priority for the electronics manufacturer given the momentum of its competition.

It’s a tough time to be launching a game streaming service, to be fair.GoogleStadia is taking up the attention of most gamers interested in a dedicated streaming service, with the existingPS Nowplatform and Microsoft’s in-the-worksProject xCloudoffering plenty of other avenues to play games through the cloud.

While PlayGalaxy Link never made it out of beta, it’s clear that cloud gaming is very much here to stay.

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ViaGameSpot

Henry is a freelance technology journalist, and former News & Features Editor for TechRadar, where he specialized in home entertainment gadgets such as TVs, projectors, soundbars, and smart speakers. Other bylines include Edge, T3, iMore, GamesRadar, NBC News, Healthline, and The Times.

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