It’s Not Gaming’s Netflix, But It’s a Start
Utomik, an unlimited play PC gaming subscription service, is now available with a 14-day free trial. The service offers game fans over 750 games through over 100 publishing partners including Warner Bros, SEGA, Disney, Epics Games, Curve Digital, and IO Interactive.
Utomik was founded in 2014 by a small group of Dutch gamers that wanted to bring a business model akin to Netflix and Spotify into the world of video games.
Since its official launch, the service is available for $6.99 USD monthly or $9.99 USD monthly for a four-person family plan system. Each of these models offer players unlimited access to the 750+ games in Utomik’s library.
Utomik doesn’t rely on streaming for content delivery, instead breaking up bigger games into smaller pieces, which allows gamers to play them as they download. This helps in terms of latency and also maximizes image quality of each title.
But streaming services might be possible in the future— Microsoft has teased Xbox game streaming in the past, which will likely be a part of the new cloud gaming division at the company.
“We’re spending a lot of time thinking about that space,” said Kareem Choudhry, head of the division. However, for this to happen, a “bunch of things” need to come together, including the creation of a business model that attracts third parties. “What we’re doing with game pass and creating a subscription-based product, where over half the content is third-party content. I would say we’re getting started from a subscription product perspective.”
It looks like streaming services could become the norm.
Some notable games in the Utomik library include the Batman: Arkham series, Saints Row IV, Furi, and Blades of the Shogun.
Anyone interested in a free 14-day trial can sign-up on their official website.
Here’s an excerpt from the Utomik site:
“Our library grows weekly through the efforts of our content scouts who go above and beyond to get the most awesome games on the platform. We listen to our subscribers too – your suggestions matter and influence the titles we add!
We even have subscribers who are so dedicated, they apply to join the Ninja Squad. The Utomik Ninjas help us further curate our library by giving feedback on unreleased titles, while also keeping an eye out for the occasional bug. Ninjas are the secret ingredient that help make Utomik a success!”