Remember Shadow, the streaming service that let you 'rent' a high-end PC over the web? Today, GamesIndustry.biz reported that developer Blade filed for bankruptcy in the US and was placed in receivership in France as it struggled to keep up with demand.
Unlike Stadia's limited storefront of games ported to the service, Shadow effectively gives users a PC-away-from-home, one that you can install anything you want. At its initial $34.95/month it was pricey, but now it's just $11.99/month because the hardware is still limited to a GTX 1080-level GPU, and that makes it a steal.
Having your own complete gaming PC living in the cloud, effectively accessible from anywhere, makes the service unlike any other streaming option. You have complete autonomy to install whichever apps, games, or services you want on the machine, the only limitations being the paltry storage space and a reliance on a decent network connection.
The Blade Shadow service has long been a travel companion for Hardware Lead, Dave, turning his aging Dell XPS 13 into a slimline gaming laptop on the go. And this news has made him rather sad.
Because, unfortunately, it looks like Shadow's server provider, 2CRSi, may reclaim €30.2 million worth of hardware currently used by Blade. Given the bankruptcy filing, the Shadow developer seems to have been in financial trouble, and now 2CRSi wants its tech back.
"Given the shortage of electronic components and more specifically graphics cards since the end of 2020, there is a strong demand on the market for this type of equipment and 2CRSi has already received indications of interest from several customers for the servers involved," the company wrote in a press release.
The release makes note of Blade's receivership proceedings with the Paris Commercial Court on March 2nd, which were followed by bankruptcy filings in the California Northern Bankruptcy Court a day later.
Blade, however, isn't resigned to defeat. In a bullish blog post titled "A New Beginning", the company states that Shadow has become a victim of its own success, with demand greatly exceeding the company's capacity. Now, it is reorganising and seeking new investment to free itself from its debt to 2CRSi before moving on to "a new stage".
"This investment process goes through the inevitable stage of collective proceedings, in France and in the United States, which will give us the best chance of achieving the dreams and ambitions we set out to accomplish since day one," wrote Blade. "Strengthened and emboldened by our experience, we now have a better understanding of the conditions for success."
The post stresses that there will be no impact to Shadow's service, which will remain fully functional during this transition.
