Surveying 1,000 UK consumers who game at least once a week, the research found that 79% of gamers feel positive about the future of cloud gaming with 43% predicting it will disrupt the gaming industry.
“These findings uncover several essential factors, first and foremost the need for networks to be future-ready for in-demand, intensive and seamless experiences – such as evolutions of the metaverse and the supercharging of low-latency cloud gaming," said Anthony Goonetilleke, group president of technology and head of strategy at Amdocs.
"As these experiences become more ingrained in our culture and we begin to explore the potential of a Web 3.0 world, entertainment partnerships and new, flexible monetisation approaches that enable a la carte experiences – coupled with connectivity – will become increasingly critical.”
Further, the report found that consumers are largely ready for a “post-console” future that combines cloud gaming with 5G connectivity and are prepared to pay more for it.
Specifically, 85% said they would forgo purchasing new gaming hardware in favour of the cloud and 81% would pay at least £7.60 ($10) a month for new cloud gaming with a dedicated 5G connection. The quality of the content tops the list of priorities for gamers when choosing a cloud gaming service (44%) with cost coming in second (29%).
In addition, while 72% of UK gamers already use or plan to use cloud gaming services this year, they are excited about the enhancements 5G connectivity deliver. 51% are looking forward to being able to stream games from any device and location; while 41% are looking forward to more unique, interactive AR experiences; and 20% await metaverse-based interactive experiences.
While only 18% of participants believe the metaverse won’t become popular, 37% think it is too early in its infancy; 36% are concerned about the cost of hardware; and 24% are unsure their internet connection can deliver it.
“We’re entering an era of significant change. Just like the iPhone turned the internet into mobile, the metaverse will disrupt the internet as we know it and gamers will be at the front lines of this evolution. But while metaverse experiences for gaming are certainly a meaningful step in mainstream adoption, it’s only one aspect," said Gil Rosen, chief marketing officer at Amdocs.
“Our research also found that around a quarter of UK gamers thought the metaverse would transform how we work, and a third felt it would let people connect in fun, new, exciting ways. But first, we’ll need to tackle hardware costs, network readiness and more.”
