Nvidia suggests it's a matter of 'when, not if' publishers will rejoin GeForce Now

Geforce now interface
(Image credit: Nvidia)

GeForce Now is perhaps one of the most affordable ways to get into PC gaming, especially in this age of out of control GPU prices. But despite its early success, certain controversies surrounding how the streaming service conducted business with developers is still holding it back from maybe realising its full potential.

Since the PC beta launch in 2018, several game developers have decided to retract support for GeForce Now, with Capcom, Bethesda, Hinterland and Activision Blizzard among those that pulled (at least some games) out. These U-turns followed what were referred to by Nvidia at the time as "misunderstandings." So, I submitted some questions to Nvidia about GeForce Now, with a mind to clear up what exactly that meant. 

When I asked about the situation, and why game developers had backed out, senior product manager of GeForce Now, Andrew Fear, had this to say:

"There were a few publishers who wanted to try GeForce Now during our free beta period, and then wanted more time to figure out their cloud strategy once we started charging. Many have rejoined GeForce Now already, and we expect more to rejoin in the coming months and years based on feedback from their users."

Race on

Best racing wheels

(Image credit: Future)

Best PC racing wheels : perfect for any circuit.
Best VR headset: which set is right for trackdays?

What this highlights is Nvidia's confidence that business will pick up in the near future. In fact, Fear made it very clear that Nvidia's good relationship with developers and publishers had "not at all" been harmed by previous incidents. 

"We have continued discussions with them about Geforce Now," he says, "and for most it is a question of when, not if, they will join GeForce Now."

The user count for GeForce Now recently passed 10 million, with new users being added "every month, at a fairly consistent rate," Fear tells me. So it would seem a bright future is ahead for the game streaming service. But it's still unclear as to whether these users will stick with the service if their favourite game is notably missing.

Here's hoping these publishers make an about turn and come on board, because there's no way I'm paying over a grand for a fancy new GPU just to play the next big AAA release.

Katie Wickens
Hardware Writer

Screw sports, Katie would rather watch Intel, AMD and Nvidia go at it. Having been obsessed with computers and graphics for three long decades, she took Game Art and Design up to Masters level at uni, and has been rambling about games, tech and science—rather sarcastically—for four years since. She can be found admiring technological advancements, scrambling for scintillating Raspberry Pi projects, preaching cybersecurity awareness, sighing over semiconductors, and gawping at the latest GPU upgrades. Right now she's waiting patiently for her chance to upload her consciousness into the cloud.

Read more
Valve Steam Deck with GeForce Now app overlaid on screen.
Nvidia announces dedicated GeForce Now app for Steam Decks and more, streamlining cloud gaming for mixed-reality headset wearers too
Protagonists from the upcoming Baldur's Gate 3 pose dramatically in front of stormclouds, with a flying ship crashing to the earth behind them.
I tried out GeForce Now's expanded mod support for Baldur's Gate 3, and it's nothing but a good thing for the future of the game
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang holding an RTX 50-series card.
92% of Nvidia users turn on DLSS... if they've been lucky enough to bag an RTX 50-series card at launch AND have the Nvidia App installed
jen-hsun-shiny-jacket
Amidst a barren GPU market and talk of 'supply constraints', Nvidia's end-of-year earnings call gives a glimmer of hope for RTX 50-series graphics card stocks this quarter
Doomslayer pointing a gun at demons while giants fight in the background
Ray tracing is quickly becoming inescapable and I think it's time we bit the bullet and embraced it
Nvidia RTX 3090 Founders Edition graphics card on its box, with a pink light in the background
Now Nvidia's hardware blocks have been AI'd out of existence all it will take for Frame Generation support on RTX 20- and 30-series GPUs is 'further optimization and testing'
Latest in Streaming
The OBSBot Tiny 2 Lite on a blue background
My favourite 4K webcam spins on a gimbal to track your face, and it's now at its lowest ever price at Amazon
Fallout New Vegas Key Art
The Fallout season 2 leaks continue with videos of the New Vegas set, including a sign for Mr. House's casino
The black and pink Razer Seiren Mini microphone next to each other on a blue background
The adorable budget Razer microphone I've recently bought is now even cheaper and the only downside is it's not pink like mine
A chaotic Google Doc with a terrifying minion.
I can't even handle one person in my Google Doc, yet this YouTuber invited over 800,000 people to vandalise his homework all at the same time
Kerbal Space Program 2
NASA is hosting the first Twitch stream from space and I'm already picturing the chat with equal parts fear and excitement
An NZXT Capsule Elite microphone set up on a desk with lighting enabled.
NZXT Capsule Elite review
Latest in News
Image for
Rise of the Ronin's PC troubles continue as players report disappearing saves on Steam
Former Treyarch studio co-head and Black Ops 3 director is heading up a new first-party PlayStation studio
Metro Exodus
'I want to raise this glass to our fans, to our community': 4A Games celebrates Metro 2033's 15th anniversary and hints at next Metro game
Assassin's Creed Shadows promo image
Ubisoft reportedly has an anti-harassment plan in place for Assassin's Creed Shadows developers
Avowed Kai holding out his hand toward camera while explaining something to the player.
Avowed's new patch just gave you 6 more talent points to muck around with, along with a heap of fixes and improvements
In-game recreation of iconic Indiana Jones stealing the idol in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Silent Hill 2 remake and Indiana Jones are at historically low prices this Steam Spring Sale—so long as you don't buy them directly from Steam