"Within 7-10 years, about 90% of gamers in the world will use cloud gaming." Interview with Boosteroid CEO

The partnership with Ukrtelecom allows Boosteroid to combine the stability of high-speed optical Internet with advanced video game streaming technologies. We spoke with Boosteroid CEO Ivan Shvaichenko and learned how cloud gaming is developing in Ukraine and the world and what technical parameters are required to use the platform’s services.

— What are the prospects for the development of cloud gaming in Ukraine? Is the demand for such services growing among Ukrainian players?

Every month, there are several high-profile game releases, most of which have high system requirements. This puts many gamers in a dilemma: whether to invest heavily in new gaming hardware or look for alternative solutions. In such conditions, cloud gaming becomes an attractive option — it allows you to play modern and demanding games without having to upgrade your computer.

The steady growth of interest in cloud gaming is a global trend that is clearly evident in Ukraine. According to our estimates, within 7–10 years, about 90% of players in the world will use cloud solutions for gaming. Ukraine is part of this process, and we expect further growth in demand for our services in the region.

— How does cloud gaming affect user behavior and gaming habits?

Cloud gaming primarily lowers the barrier to entry: to play demanding modern games, you no longer need to invest in expensive hardware or upgrade it every few years. This changes the financial planning of users regarding gaming expenses.

This affects gaming habits: users start playing more often and in more diverse circumstances — for example, during their lunch break.

The approach to the game library itself is also changing. Players are becoming freer in their choices — they are not limited to only those titles that their device will «pull.» This contributes to greater openness to new genres and games.

— What are the technical requirements for an internet connection for comfortable use of Boosteroid? What speed and latency (ping) indicators are critical?

The minimum recommended internet connection speed is 15 Mbps, but for high-quality gaming, especially at high resolutions, it is better to have a higher speed.

The shorter the latency (ping), the better for the gameplay. Usually, players do not notice a latency of up to 20 milliseconds. With a latency between 20 and 45 milliseconds, it is comfortable to play in most scenarios. In some cases, in particular if the player is in a country where there are no local Boosteroid servers yet, the ping can reach even higher.

Latency is affected by a number of factors, one of which is the routing between the user’s device and the connection server. For a comfortable game, Boosteroid builds an extensive network of available servers and works with providers to ensure the best routing.

— How many users does Boosteroid have in Ukraine?

As of today, Boosteroid has over 6.8 million registered users worldwide. About 1% of them play directly from the territory of Ukraine. At the same time, about 7% of all players are Ukrainians who use the service from different countries of the world. Many Ukrainian users play from Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic and other countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

We see a steady growth in interest in cloud gaming in Ukraine, especially among young people, students, and gamers who appreciate the ability to run modern games on any device without expensive equipment.

— Do you plan to expand Boosteroid’s presence in Ukraine, in particular through cooperation with Internet providers?

Yes, we are open to cooperation with Ukrainian Internet providers and are actively considering such opportunities.

In addition, we are working on expanding our infrastructure in Ukraine by adding new powerful servers.

— What is the minimum computer required for comfortable play on Boosteroid? What are the basic specifications?

Boosteroid works on any device capable of playing high-quality video — be it a PC, laptop, smartphone, tablet, or SmartTV. If the device can run YouTube in Full HD without any problems, in most cases it will also allow you to play comfortably through Boosteroid.

Thanks to cloud processing, all resource-intensive processes are performed on our servers, so users don’t need powerful hardware. The main thing is a stable Internet connection. This allows even owners of office laptops to play the most demanding AAA games.