Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis has presented cloud gaming as a potential solution to the increasing cost of dedicated gaming hardware. Speaking in a July 23 interview with the BBC and subsequently to The Game Business, Gattis acknowledged that while consoles and PCs are vital to the industry, a significant portion of the global gaming population lacks access to such hardware.
Gattis highlighted that with console prices potentially exceeding $1,000, partly due to factors like RAM shortages, cloud gaming could become a more attractive option for consumers. He stated that Amazon Games' goal is not to replace traditional consoles or PCs but to expand the market by offering an alternative that bypasses the high entry cost of hardware. "Our business isn’t predicated on replacing consoles," Gattis said. "Historically, cloud gaming has been a little bit of a solution in search of a problem. Consoles, for the most part, have been relatively inexpensive until now. So, our business is more about reaching more players and expanding the market, not trying to get people to give up their consoles or gaming PCs."
He believes that advancements in streaming technology, coupled with the rising cost of hardware, will naturally lead more people to consider cloud gaming solutions. This approach could also benefit developers and publishers by opening up access to a broader audience, estimated at 2.5 to 3 billion people worldwide, who are currently underserved by expensive hardware. Gattis addressed potential developer concerns about cannibalizing sales on other platforms, emphasizing that cloud gaming, particularly when integrated with services like Amazon Prime, primarily reaches players who would otherwise be unable to access these games due to cost barriers.
The broader context of cloud gaming's viability remains a point of discussion. While major console manufacturers like Sony and Microsoft offer their own cloud services, past ventures such as Google Stadia have ceased operations. Amazon's own Luna service was integrated into the Amazon Prime subscription in 2025. Furthermore, the reliability of cloud gaming is intrinsically linked to internet stability, a factor that remains a significant drawback compared to offline play on dedicated consoles. Outages or connectivity issues can render cloud gaming services inaccessible, a problem that does not affect locally downloaded games on traditional hardware. Despite these challenges, Gattis suggests that the escalating price of gaming hardware makes cloud gaming a more compelling consideration for a larger player base.