Major game retailer GameStop is advertising a number of job postings suggesting the company is working on a streaming game service targeted at the Android and Linux platforms.
Major game retailer GameStop is advertising a number of job postings suggesting the company is working on a streaming game service targeted at the Android and Linux platforms. A LinkedIn job posting seeks a senior engineer for an "Android Gaming Client" at Spawn Labs' Austin headquarters. The hire would be responsible for "porting and maintenance of our Player to Android devices," according to the posting. Another posting for a cloud gaming client engineer tasks the planned hire with "managing the porting and maintenance of our Player on Linux-based systems." Yet another posting seeks an Engineering Services Software Engineer to "support the operation of the GameStop Cloud Gaming service." The company has expressed interest in launching its own streaming service a few times since acquiring streaming gaming company Spawn Labs along with Stardock's Impulse digital distribution service weeks ago. GameStop president Tony Bartel said in a conference call after the acquisition that the company was interested in a "try before you buy model," for such a service, using the system to promote both digital downloads and retail sales of full games. Analyst Colin Sebastian said earlier this month he expects Gamestop's streaming service to have a beta test this year, with a full launch "in early- to mid-2012." In an interview with Gamasutra earlier this month, Bartel cited tablets as "the next explosion in the gaming space," and said the company would consider developing and marketing its own tablet device if it couldn't find an existing one suited to its gaming needs. "If we can work with our partners and the OEMs and they come up with a great tablet that is enabled with a great gaming experience and coupled with a bluetooth controller, then there's no need to go out and develop our own," Bartel said. "But if we can't find one that's great for gaming, then we will create our own."
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