OnePlay was founded by Harshit Jain and Abhik Saha as a discovery engine and recommendation platform for gaming. Soon the founders recognised the immense potential in the gaming industry and decided to dive into this domain, transforming OnePlay into a full-time cloud gaming platform.
Cloud gaming allows users to play games hosted on remote servers instead of their own devices, eliminating the need for downloads and expensive hardware. This innovation enables players to enjoy high-quality gaming experiences on smartphones, consoles, or PCs without the constraints of local processing power.
“OnePlay is building a gaming universe on its cloud gaming platform, aiming to establish cloud gaming as the primary gaming solution in the Indian gaming market,” said the platform’s co-founder and CEO Jain. “With affordable subscription plans, we aim to democratise gaming and make it accessible to all.”
In an interview with AnimationXpress, OnePlay’s Jain spoke about cloud gaming’s potential and challenges in India, OnePlay’s model, and its vision for 2024.
Here are the excerpts from the interview:
1. What was the aim behind founding OnePlay?
We intend to create a dedicated community by integrating live streaming, a diverse game store, and a unique stand-alone cloud gaming platform.
The goal behind this community building is to include features like game price discovery, integrated live streaming on YouTube and Twitch, official support for Mods and DLCs and more game customisation for gamers. We plan to reach gamers on multiple platforms, including Linux, iPhone/iPad, and LG TVs, while bundling games from other developers to expand the library to over 500 games.
2. Can you explain OnePlay’s model?
Currently, OnePlay has three tiers of subscription: 1) Foundation 2) Enhanced 3) Ultimate.
The pricing is based on the amount of hours gamers play on the platform as per their daily planning. The cost increases with the number of hours gamers want to add to the plan, and if they wish to play for unlimited hours. Please find below the images of the subscription plans for your reference.
3. How do you secure the game titles?
OnePlay has multiple levels of game titles available including AAA Titles and AA titles for users.
For AA titles, we are planning to buy the license for multiple titles together and bundle them under one roof for players to enjoy. For instance, if the users purchase the license from OnePlay they can play multiple game titles in a single subscription.
Currently, we offer around 250 plus games with AAA titles that are part of our BYOG (Bring your own game) feature on our platform. With BYOG, users can purchase a license for any game of their choice from other platforms such as streaming apps or Play Store. Once they have obtained the license, they can come to our platform and use the provided link to subscribe and play the game.
4. What challenges have you encountered while running a cloud gaming platform, and how have you overcome them?
As we progressed, we also noticed the shifting trends, with gaming poised to become the next big wave. Educating the Indian market about gaming and its ecosystem presented a significant challenge, but one we were determined to tackle.
We’ve encountered our fair share of challenges in our journey, particularly in terms of infrastructure. Addressing issues related to server capacity and latency has been crucial.
We’ve adopted a strategic approach, working directly with ISPs to ensure optimal user experience. Currently, we have two active servers in western India, with plans to expand further in the coming months to cover more regions and minimise latency for gamers across the country.
5. How do you see the potential and impact of cloud gaming in India?
India has witnessed significant growth in gaming over the past few years, with the rise of cloud gaming being a direct result of this expansion in the online gaming sector worldwide. Forecasts suggest that the gaming market will reach a value of US$175.08 billion by 2027 and the market of cloud gaming in India is expected to reach 28.2 million users by 2027.
This surge in demand has been fueled by the widespread availability of high-speed internet and affordable smartphones, with the Covid-19 pandemic further accelerating this trend. Additionally, the advent of 5G internet has played a pivotal role in transforming the gaming landscape, making games more accessible to a broader audience.
The affordability of cloud gaming, coupled with its accessibility without the need for costly hardware, makes it an attractive option for gamers while maintaining a high-quality gaming experience. With its ability to cater to the diverse gaming preferences of Indian gamers, cloud gaming is anticipated to revolutionise the entire industry in the years to come. The future of cloud gaming appears promising, marked by continued technological advancements and improved infrastructure, poised to meet the demands of the Indian gaming sector.
6. What is unique about OnePlay?
OnePlay’s decentralised cloud gaming service eliminates the need for expensive hardware. Addressing challenges such as affordability, latency, and limited hardware, the platform prioritises user data security. Unlike competitors constrained by hardware and pricing issues, OnePlay users enjoy freedom from maintenance, storage concerns, exclusivity, and availability limitations.
7. You have secured $1.8 million in funds. How do you plan to utilise it?
We’ve always prioritised smart spending and utilised our resources to attract new customers and retain the ones we have, rather than spending all our funds at once. We experiment a lot on our platform to make it one of the best super gaming applications, where users are having unique gaming experience and their private details are safe, secured, and confidential. We utilise our funds in engineering, research and development, administration, infrastructure, and marketing too.
8. How does 2024 look for OnePlay?
Our central goal is to promote cloud gaming in India and foster a vibrant community where gamers can unite, share their experiences, and indulge in wholesome gaming sessions.
We are collaborating with other developers; we are set to offer over 500 games across various platforms. As we move forward, we’re accelerating our plans to make gaming servers more cost-effective. The roadmap includes strategic association with telecoms, collaborations with companies like Samsung, and hosting cloud esports.
In the long term, OnePlay aims to address complex technical challenges, including designing low-cost gaming servers, deploying edge servers globally and more.
With these initiatives, our company is poised to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of gaming in India and globally for years to come.
