Sony acquires online game streaming service and shuts it down

Sony has acquired online game streaming service OnLive and will pull the plug on the company later this year.  By acquiring the company, Sony gets it hands on patents of the company that competed with Sony's Playstation Now service. OnLive will stop providing it services on the 30th of April.

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OnLive will no longer charge subscription fees and customers can continue to play all their games until that date.  After that date Sony will pull the plug on the OnLive services OnLive Game Service, OnLive Desktop and Second Life on the Go. On its website OnLive states, "Sony is acquiring important parts of OnLive, and their plans don't include a continuation of the game service in its current form."

Sony stated that its a strategic acquisition that should help to broaden Sony's patent portfolio on cloud gaming. It's unclear what happens to the 80 employees of OnLive. It's likely that Sony will use the acquired technology to improve its PlayStation Now service.

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