Amazon appears to be making a big move into first-party video games, with two major titles from its own studio slated for release next month. But this may be just the beginning. The company's Project Tempo (a cloud gaming platform in the vein of Google Stadia) could be here by 2021.

In an interview with The New York Times (via TechRadar), Mike Frazzini, Amazon's VP of Game Services and Studios, talked about the online shooter "Crucible" and the massively multiplayer game "New World" discussed the two games. More interestingly, however, the article briefly mentions Project Tempo, which, according to the Times, was scheduled to launch in beta this year but may be delayed to 2021 due to coronavirus problems.

There are not many details on how Project Tempo will work, but if any company has the cloud infrastructure and streaming experience to compete with Google's gaming platform, it would be Amazon.

The Seattle e-commerce giant owns the live streaming platform Twitch, and in an interview with the Times, Frazzini delivered a game that allows viewers to jump into the action with their favorite streamers from their web browsers He mentions the company's plans to This is similar to Google Stadia's upcoming crowd-play feature and could tie in with Tempo's larger strategy.

"We love the idea of players, streamers, and viewers sharing in Twitch's synchronized interactive environment," Frazzini told the New York Times.

Google Stadia launched in late 2019 to very lukewarm reviews; reviews of Google Stadia praised the platform's overall streaming performance and broad compatibility with various peripherals, but the game at launch lineup and feature set proved to be incredibly thin.

The pricing model is also questionable: if you want access to Google Stadia right now, you must purchase the $129 Premium Edition Kit, which includes a Google Chromecast Ultra and controller.

Stadia Pro includes a handful of games, including Destiny 2 and Grid, but it is not a comprehensive solution like Netflix. Titles like Doom Eternal and Red Dead Redemption 2 must be purchased for a retail price of $59.99, as Google has yet to release a free tier of Stadia, even though it works on most smartphones, PCs, and tablets. service is not an attractive value for many gamers.

With Project Tempo, Amazon has a chance to succeed in an area where Google has yet to succeed. The company already offers a monthly game streaming service called Twitch Prime, available as part of an Amazon Prime account for $119 per year or $12.99 per month.Twitch Prime offers free games, complementary in-game content, and free access to your favorite streamers, and a free monthly channel subscription for support.

If Amazon could incorporate Project Tempo into this service and immediately offer Twitch Prime members a high-quality collection of games that can be streamed from the cloud, it would offer tremendous value and drive even more Amazon Prime members. Amazon Prime already offers a library of on-demand streaming shows and movies through Prime Video, and a collection of streamable games could be a logical next step.

Amazon's cloud gaming initiative probably won't be seen until 2021, and Google has plenty of time to improve Stadia with new games and features. However, Amazon has a chance to take the crown in the gaming and streaming space, where startups like Sony, Microsoft, and Nvidia are also increasing their investments.