Amazon to challenge Google Stadia with cloud gaming service coming next year

Amazon has already started hiring people for its cloud gaming initiative

Amazon is planning to launch its own cloud gaming service, in competition with Google Stadia, in 2020

That's according to a new report by CNET, which follows on from an earlier report from The Information, which revealed in January that Amazon was working on its own cloud gaming service that is not likely to roll out until 2020 at the earliest.

Amazon has already started hiring people for its cloud gaming initiative, as indicated by some job listings. One such listing, for example, was found seeking a "Principal Product Leader" for a "New AWS Gaming Initiative".

Another posting spotted by CNET says the company plans to integrate its gaming service with Twitch, a popular live-streaming service, which allows gamers to stream themselves playing their preferred games. The service possibly also gives Amazon lots of information about the types of games that people like to play for hours in a single day.

"We believe the evolution that began with arcade communities a quarter at a time, growing to the live streams and e-sports of today, will continue to a future where everyone is a gamer and every gamer can create, compete, collaborate and connect with others at massive scales," another job posting this month showed, according to CNET.

The news comes just two days after the launch of Google's Stadia cloud gaming service, which is currently available only for Pro subscribers and has met with mixed reviews. Many users criticised the service for having limited features, slow response time and a poor line-up of games.

"Until Google finds a way to loop in YouTube and develop truly unique competitive large-scale games, Stadia isn't worth your time yet," CNET Editor Scott Stein wrote in his review.

Google and Amazon are not the only companies with ambitious plans in cloud gaming space. Many other companies, including Sony and Microsoft, are also gearing up to roll out their own cloud-gaming services.

Microsoft's Project xCloud service, currently in preview, is offering more than 50 games to early users. The company's Xbox Game Pass subscription service gives players access to more than 100 titles, starting at $9.99 per month.

Last month, Sony overhauled its PlayStation Now streaming service, offering users more than 800 games for $9.99 per month.

In May, Sony and Microsoft announced a new partnership to develop cloud-gaming technology that would compete with the likes of Amazon and Google.

Nintendo, Verizon and EA are also among other companies that are currently working on their plans to launch cloud gaming services.