Modern gamers have basically known a world dominated by two consoles: Microsoft’s Xbox and Sony’s PlayStation. There have been plenty of rumblings in recent years that the game, so to speak, would be changing. Microsoft is getting close to introducing their new console Xbox Scarlett and there plenty of rumors of next-gen consoles on the horizon. However, according to Kotaku, a surprise player may be about to enter the marketplace as well: Google.

Kotaku doesn’t have a lot of details but they say that the tech giant is planning a three-pronged approach to tapping the gaming market. They want to create a streaming platform, couple it with a form of hardware, and bring game developers under the Google brand in order to create unique gaming experiences. Having both streaming and hardware options opens up the ability of players to get involved regardless of what they own or what they prefer.

It’s not a huge surprise that Google would be interested in moving into the space as they’ve basically been trying to break in for the last decade or so. They were said to be in the running to acquire Twitch before Amazon eventually did. It was also thought that some kind of Android-based console would pop up at some point as well. They got ahead of themselves when they spun off Niantic as an independent company a year before they released Pokémon Go, which probably fueled their desire to get into the gaming world even more.

The project, which is supposedly code-named Yeti, is expected to be a pretty big player in the game (pun intended). Of course, the road is paved with major companies who tried and failed to become bigtime entities in the gaming world. Google is hoping that people like Phil Harrison, whom they hired after stints with Sony and Microsoft, will be able to position them well enough to compete from the get-go. They’re also bringing in plenty of former employees from EA and others who worked on Xbox and PlayStation. In other words, they’re doing everything right on paper, but ultimately it’s going to come down to the games and the experience Google can create.

[Kotaku]

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Editorial Strategy Director for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.