Blacknut Cloud Gaming recaps the technical work and development required to deploy the first-of-its-kind free game pilot, debuted on the US Samsung Gaming Hub for Smart TVs in November 2023
In November of 2023, Blacknut Cloud Gaming launched a new experience for Samsung Smart TV users in the US: a “Free Game Pilot” wherein users could access a selection of premium cloud games with no sign-in or subscription required –a first of its kind experience for Smart TV gamers. This experience was made possible by the deployment of a special, dedicated cloud support network backed by Blacknut’s unique, hybrid public-private GPU supported cloud infrastructure in collaboration with strategic cloud partners, as well as the design and creation of a new, totally customized UI-flow. Furthermore, both components of the experience were developed specifically for Samsung Gaming Hub by Blacknut’s talented team and delivered in under 2 months.
Blacknut is the world's leading pure player cloud gaming service dedicated to the general public. The cloud gaming service provider currently works with more than 150 acclaimed publishers resulting in a premium game catalog of over 600+ games.
Blacknut regularly provides the fastest go-to-market solution for premium cloud gaming, allowing partners to capitalize on an advanced cloud infrastructure that is ready and deployable globally, alongside its SDK integration and business solutions offerings. The project for Samsung Gaming Hub capitalized on the best of Blacknuts’ technical expertise and capabilities, highlighting the teams’ ability to create tailored solutions for any type and size of market.
The Project
In order to support the extent of the Samsung Gaming Hub’s audience, Blacknut’s IT team successfully deployed an advanced Cloud Points of Presence (PoPs) infrastructure in partnership with Blacknut strategic cloud partners Tencent, Piknik, GCP, and notably Radian Arc. Radian Arc, a first-in-class Edge GPU cloud provider powered by AMD technologies and supported by Supermicro purpose-built GPU technology, has been an ongoing strategic cloud partner with Blacknut. For the deployment of the free pilot for Samsung Gaming Hub, Radian Arc strategically increased three critical PoPs in the United States to ensure a gaming experience with ultra-low latency, high-quality graphics, and a wide range of supported devices; additionally, given the success of the free to play pilot the leading cloud provider now has plans to increase capacity in these strategic locations as well expand to new locations in 2024.
Radian Arc is thrilled to continually support Blacknut in its deployment of premium cloud gaming across the globe; the Free Game Pilot for Samsung Gaming Hub is only the latest in bringing Radian Arc's first-in-class Edge GPU cloud support and Blacknut’s unbeatable catalog to users everywhere. We were thrilled to play a key role in ensuring a high-quality, uninterrupted game streaming experience for their US users.
David Cook, CEO Radian Arc
The bolstered cloud support network also included the optimization of CCU to ensure a seamless experience for Samsung Gaming Hub players, resulting in faster game launches than many scaled competitors that are sometimes plagued with backlogs and waiting lines, especially in the US market.
The deployment of the Cloud PoPs infrastructure for Samsung Gaming Hub was executed with precision with respect for a defined timeline; Every aspect of the deployment process, from strategic planning to seamless integration, was meticulously handled to ensure that the new infrastructure seamlessly integrated with the Gaming Hub, and we are more than thrilled with the results and feedback from our players
Pascal Manchon, CTO Blacknut
Alongside the undertaking of a specialized cloud support network, an innovative UI was developed specifically for use on Samsung Gaming Hub for Smart TV users in the United States in a collaborative effort between the Blacknut Graphics and IT teams. Fully integrated into the Gaming Hub, the custom UI features a tailored consumer experience flow as well as alerts, graphics, and a game carousel for the selection of free-to-play games. The successful creation and launch of the UI created a completely seamless cloud gaming experience, further eliminating barriers to bring premium games to the big screen for every compatible Samsung home.
For the occasion, Blacknut has also integrated a dedicated list of chosen games brought by Blacknut’s Licensing team, to include for the pilot. These games, including titles by acclaimed publishers THQ Nordic, Team17, Gameloft, Curve Digital, Untold Tales, Purple Tree, Nacon, PQube Limited, and Handy Games, were immediately available for US players throughout the period with new games dropping in February 2024. The pilot included games Overcooked! 2, Arise: A Simple Story, WRC 9: The Official Game, The Jackbox Party Starter, amongst others.
As a result, the US pilot saw overall traffic increase 16-fold in the first two months of deployment; the ongoing pilot is set to continue through February 2024 with new games and special offers available for US players. A great success in the beginning of a series of projects and experiences for players from Blacknut in 2024.