After rumors of a potential purchase of Gaikai, a web browser based online gaming service which offers games like Mass Affect 3 and Crysis 2, Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) has announced a definitive agreement to purchase Gaikai for a cool $380 million. Sony hopes that through the acquisition, the gaming giant will be establish a new cloud based gaming service. Andrew House, President and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. said:

 “By combining Gaikai’s resources including its technological strength and engineering talent with SCE’s extensive game platform knowledge and experience, SCE will provide users with unparalleled cloud entertainment experiences,” 

He went on:

 “SCE will deliver a world-class cloud-streaming service that allows users to instantly enjoy a broad array of content ranging from immersive core games with rich graphics to casual content anytime, anywhere on a variety of internet-connected devices.” 

Gaikai, located in Aliso Viejo, California was established in 2008. The company since has continued to offer and grow their cloud based gaming platform which allows Mac, PC, tablet, and smartphone users to play a slew of high profile and casual games without needing a dedicated console. It still remains unclear if Sony will keep the service open to all or rebrand and offer their content, exclusive to PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita owners.

David Perry, CEO of Gaikai Inc:

 “SCE has built an incredible brand with PlayStation and has earned the respect of countless millions of gamers worldwide. We’re honored to be able to help SCE rapidly harness the power of the interactive cloud and to continue to grow their ecosystem, to empower developers with new capabilities, to dramatically improve the reach of exciting content and to bring breathtaking new experiences to users worldwide.” 

Though we don’t have any clear proof of such actions, other goals of such an acquisition could be to build Sony’s cloud based initiative for the PlayStation 4 which has been rumored to offer no optical disk though we’re skeptical a lack of a disc drive. Still, with cloud offerings and capabilities growing at a rapid pace, its not too far fetched to think that besides disc based and digital downloads, Sony might be tempted to offer streaming gaming solutions as well.

Discuss:

Where do you think the acquisition of Gaikai will lead the PlayStation brand?

[Via MarketWatch]