GeForce Now expands cloud gaming into new territories

When it comes to cloud gaming, Google Stadia, Project xCloud, and PlayStation Now grab most of the headlines. But Nvidia has its own GeForce Now service that it has spent years testing. And today, the company is signing a deal to expand that service into Russia as part of the GeForce Now Alliance.

Nvidia is teaming up with Russia industrial conglomerate SAFMAR Group to launch GFN.RU. This gives Russian gaming fans a way to join the GeForce Now beta with potentially less latency and more reliability.

“By partnering with top local service and retail providers, GFN.RU strengthens our commitment to deliver the best in cloud gaming globally,” GeForce Now manager Phil Eisler writes in a blog post. “Rostelecom, the leading provider of digital services in Russia, will run GFN.RU on its ultra-high-speed data channels to deliver max performance and minimal latency. M.Video, the largest Russian consumer electronics retail chain, is offering subscriptions in store and online.”

As with any GFN Alliance member, SAFMAR Group is free to run its instance of GeForce Now however it chooses. Nvidia wants regional companies to build an experience that makes sense for their customers.

“GeForce Now Alliance members have the autonomy to create the best business models, pricing, promotions, layouts, and game libraries for their regions,” writes Eisler. “So gamers get both a truly local experience and the quality and performance of GeForce Now.”

GeForce Now in Russia joins Japan and South Korea

Russia is the third country to benefit from the GFN Alliance. Nvidia previously announced deals to enter key East Asian territories in March.

Earlier this month, South Korean technology firm LG U+ brought the tech to its country. GeForce Now launched alongside Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10+. In Japan, multimedia conglomerate Softbank has opened up registrations for GeForce Now. The service is launching in a test in Japan this winter.

These partnerships make a lot of sense for Nvidia. The company is excellent at designing graphics hardware and producing the silicon, but it does not have a global server infrastructure. That puts it at a severe disadvantage when it comes to competing with Microsoft and Google, which both have servers around the world.

So instead of trying to put servers in every neighborhood or renting them from Amazon or Microsoft, Nvidia is bringing its tech to companies that already have that infrastructure. This frees Nvidia to focus on its established GeForce Now regions like the United States. It also gives Nvidia new customers to buy its profitable server GPUs.