Amazon Luna will be powered by Windows, not Linux, making it easier for developers to port games
What you need to know
- Amazon's Luna is powered by Windows servers, the company shared.
- This is part of an effort to make building games for Luna as low-effort as possible.
- Amazon has managed to build up a launch catalog of 100 titles as a result of this.
Amazon launched Luna and the service hit the ground running hard. It'll be supporting multiple platforms from ranging from Android to MacOS, but its biggest feat remains its game availability. Luna will launch with over 100 games including Resident Evil 7, Panzer Dragoon, and GRID.
But how did Amazon manage to build out such a gaming catalog when Google hasn't been able to with more time? Well, it's simple; the company is backed by Windows and Nvidia, making themselves already known quantities for developers. Speaking to Ars Technica, Amazon Luna Director of Product Oliver Messenger said that the aim was to make porting apps as "low effort" as possible. Stadia, by way of contrast, is powered by Linux. For gaming developers, that's not as familiar a platform as windows.
The Verge reported:
In other words, Luna is familiar technology for developers and Amazon is promising a powerful gaming experience for these same developers to showcase their IP.
Stadia already faces a lot of headwind as it stands, added pressure from companies like Amazon and Microsoft will only serve to force change onto the streaming service. Whether to make it a better product or to drive it towards the notorious Google graveyard depends on how Stadia fits in Google's overall vision.
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