Cloud gaming isn't a new concept – it's been a thing now for well over a decade – but it's becoming a more viable part of the conversation, and one of the companies that is making waves in the world of vintage streaming is Antsream, which is currently available on Xbox, iOS and PC and offers access to over 1300 games covering decades of history.
Available for a yearly subscription, Anstream features titles from some of the biggest names in the business, as well as regular competitions which encourage members to take part in various challenges. Formats covered include SNES, Mega Drive, Neo Geo, Amiga, PS1 and even arcade hardware – making Antstream's library of old-school classics one of the most robust available.
Antstream was established by Steve Cottam, who was kind enough to sit down with us for a chat about its legacy, current status and future plans.
Time Extension: Could you give us a bit of background on your career and connection with the world of video games?
Steve Cottam: As with many people in the video games industry, my interest started with playing games. Back in the '80s, with systems like the Dragon 32, ZX Spectrum and the MSX, to begin with, I found myself enthralled by what video games were capable of. Many systems later, and probably far too many hours playing Manic Miner, I taught myself to code.
With a burning desire to work in the video games industry, I started my own studio called Torc Interactive and released a game called Nitro Racers, which we were very proud of. However, after spending some time trying to get a second game off the ground, I found myself working in IT on some very interesting projects.
What inspired you to create Antstream?
It was actually during one of these IT projects in the city that inspiration hit. I was basically working on a very early iteration of cloud streaming, sharing desktops to terminals. Cloud gaming was just beginning to appear, and my love for the video games I had grown up with had never gone away. While streaming the big AAA games would always be difficult with the technology of the time, I started thinking that this could work for retro games.
I was frustrated with how difficult it was to find and play those games from the '80s and '90s, especially when it was so easy to find music or movies from those times to stream through the internet. These games were disappearing and being forgotten, which was so sad considering how much creativity and effort would have gone into them. And so, Antstream was born.
What would you say makes Antstream unique from other gaming subscription services out there?
Obviously, there is the retro aspect. While we do occasionally have new games join the service, they all have the retro vibe.
Then there is the size of our library. With more than 1300 games available, Antstream is the largest collection of games available to stream.
And we don’t just offer these games “as is”. There are leaderboards for players to compare their skills with others around the world, there are challenges that offer bite-size quests for players to compete in, and there are tournaments for players to compete. Also, games can be paused and resumed at any point, which is something that was just not possible for many of these earlier games.
Finally, we have the price. Antstream is far cheaper than the other gaming subscription services, especially when you consider how many games we have available. £39.99 for an entire year’s access to everything Antstream has to offer is a bargain.
When people hear 'cloud gaming', they tend to become concerned about latency and lack of ownership. How have you tackled those pressure points as a company?
In the early days of cloud gaming, both latency and lack of ownership were very much points of concern. The technology to ensure low latency wasn’t quite there, so, of course, players would get frustrated, especially in competitive games. However, as the technology has advanced, and along with the relative simplicity of retro games, latency is far better than it used to be. At Antstream, we are very aware that latency issues can ruin a gaming experience and work very hard to ensure low latency, at least on Antstream’s side. Obviously, the quality of the user's connection will also have an effect, but again, technology has moved forward, and connections are always improving.
Ownership is an interesting subject. I think as streaming services have become more mainstream, users are more than happy to have access to masses of entertainment without actually owning it. When music streaming began, many shunned the idea, preferring to continue with their collections of CDs, vinyl or whatever, and the same could be said for movie and TV streaming, with users wanting to buy movies on DVD or Blu-ray. However, over time that seems to have dwindled, as is evident from the sales of these media. People like having choice and convenience.
The same can be said of video games. As users have made the move from physical to digital media, the interest in digital media has died off. Shelving stacked with video game cases is a thing of the past, as users now keep their libraries in digital form on hard drives. Cloud gaming subscription services are the next step, giving people access to multiple titles for a monthly fee. I think it is just the natural evolution of media, and as it becomes mainstream, users will have fewer concerns.
Has there ever been any plan to allow users to download games rather than stream them, given the small file size of many retro titles?
Downloading retro games has always been a possibility, especially given their small size. But at Antstream it is more about the user experience. Streaming makes much more sense from the point of view that players can expect the things to work the same each time they play. Then they have access to all of the community and multiplayer features, such as challenges and the like.
You've worked with some amazing publishers and developers to bring their games to Antstream; is there a company you've not worked with yet that you'd like to?
There are so many great games out there that have yet to make their way to Antstream, and so many great companies that we would love to work with. At any given time, there are loads of companies that we are in negotiations with, and yet more that the team at Antstream are trying to track down. Dealing with older games can mean difficulties in finding who actually owns the rights, so it is not always straightforward.
Is there a particular game on Antstream you find yourself personally returning to, and why?
It has been well documented that I am a huge fan of Manic Miner and will still occasionally find myself jumping in for a quick game. It brings back great memories of those early years discovering video games. There are so many games on Antstream, though, that if I spent my time playing all of my favourites, I would never get anything else done.
What's the engagement been like for your community-based challenges and competitions?
The challenges and tournaments on Antstream prove to be hugely popular. Video games have always had a strong competitive side to them, even before the internet when young gamers would compare progress in the playground or crowd around arcade machines. Gamers will always want ways to prove their superiority over their peers, and the challenges and tournaments give them a chance to do that.
How difficult is it to manage such a large library of games, especially when it comes to curation and recommendation?
Antstream has a great team that keeps an eye on all of the games, ensuring they work as expected. We have more games coming to the library each and every week, so they are always kept on their toes. The Antstream software does a lot of the hard work when it comes to the curation and recommendation, which is down to the developers and programmers.
What element of the service are you most proud of, and what aspect would you like to improve?
To be honest, I am most proud of everything about Antstream. There are always improvements to be made, and there are already plans in place for the exciting 'Vision' overhaul of the service. But, considering it was a simple idea that came to me all of those years ago, I am so proud of how far Antstream has come. From the technical side, to the arduous task of tracking down rights owners, it has been an interesting journey, and a lot of work, but I am very pleased with where Antstream is now.
Antstream is on more devices than ever before; what's it been like seeing your audience expand so dramatically, and do you have plans to bring Antstream to any other platforms or devices?
I can’t think of any more platforms, can you think of any more platforms? Of course, there are devices that Antstream is not yet available on, and this is something we are working tirelessly to rectify. Our dream at Antstream has always been to give access to retro games anywhere, anytime, and we are closer than ever. We will keep expanding our audience and giving them the chance to enjoy some of the greatest video games of all time across their devices.
There are so many great games on Antstream, many of which would have likely been forgotten about, so being able to ensure these games reach an audience feels really good. Antstream’s growing audience proves that people want to experience these older, often simpler, video games, and I am glad we can provide that.
The future is becoming increasingly digital and cloud gaming is becoming more and more viable as technology advances. With that in mind, where do you see Antstream in five years?
As already mentioned, our goal is to make Antstream available anywhere, anytime, and to that end I would hope that our service will have spread to all platforms, including those that are yet to be announced.
Also, as the technology advances and time passes, the definition of retro will change, and I would like to see Antstream’s library of games cover even more platforms. Right now, we have games from platforms up to the PS One, but it will likely be possible to continue to expand with games from even newer platforms. PlayStation 2, Xbox, maybe Dreamcast... there is no shortage of games that could be added to the service, if the technology allows.
We'd like to thank Steve for taking the time to talk with us and Diane Hutchinson for co-ordinating this interview.