Founded 2000 | ||
G-cluster is a Finnish cloud gaming provider. It was founded in 2000, but has been a wholly owned subsidiary of SoftBank since 2004. It uses IPTV set-top boxes for their service. Their target audience is gamers who already have gaming consoles and has a game selection consisting of casual games as well as high-end titles.
G-cluster's business model was introduced in the article "Developing Cloud Business Models: A Case Study on Cloud Gaming" of the IEEE Software Magazine (July/August 2011).
Cloud gaming as a gaming-on-demand technology was originally implemented by G-cluster. The first commercial roll-out of the service was for Cyprus Telecom Authority in 2005 on their IPTV network. In March 2008, G-cluster announced HD support in their solution in with Amino IPTV STB. In November 2010, after thorough beta testing, French operator SFR launched a commercial service based on G-cluster technology.
On May 24, 2016, G-cluster filed for bankruptcy.