Software as a Service

Games legend Quake III recently became the world’s most advanced browser game when it was re-released online as ‘Quake Live’. The first person shooter was first launched in 1999 and is known as one of the godfathers of the genre. Apart from providing hours of fragging fun, the release highlights the increasing power of the browser, both as a means of entertainment and as a business channel.

The power of browser games was covered in a previous multimedia blog, and Quake III is an excellent example of the points raised.

So browser applications as a business channel? Quake Live is downloaded for free through a browser and then run through a browser and supported by advertising. It is a process free from the geographical friction of buying from a shop, it doesn’t take up a huge chunk of your hard drive or need any updates, and it doesn’t require a restrictive EULA or constrictive DRM. All without any negative effect on the gameplay. And because it is browser based, you don’t even need to be at your own desk.

The paradigm Quake Live follows is known as Software as a Service (SaaS), and is one of the biggest trends on the web today. It is the deployment arm of the global move to online automated services, the same process that drives Web 2.0. Just like Web 2.0 SaaS is only going to grow in prominence – just look at Amazon’s EC2 cloud platform or the fact Microsoft is considering moving its flagship Office suite online.

As well as the examples above SaaS also offers the creators direct control of distribution. There is no need to package and send to vendors, and multiple pricing models are available (one-off, subscription, pay-as-you-go, advertising).

One of the biggest possible benefits is the shared backend. This means updates will automatically affect all versions, and all versions can leverage the power of the service provider’s computers, thereby making powerful applications available on hardware that would not otherwise be able to run it.

SaaS is a model that is going to become increasingly prominent. Already widespread, its attractiveness to application providers will only continue to grow in the current economic climate, as they attempt to save money on distribution and upkeep.

Quake Live has shown us what the browser is capable of. It can not only run high-quality entertainment, through SaaS, it is also the fastest, best value and fastest growing application distribution channel.

Mark
Multimedia Developer