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Google Teasing Big Announcement, Adds Ex-Assassin's Creed Exec
Google released a brief teaser trailer for its GDC 2019 keynote, which will be streamed live from the conference location in just under a week. Google indicated that it would be revealing the company's vision for the future of gaming, and has added ex-Assassin's Creed executive Jade Raymond as its VP.
Google's involvement in the gaming industry has been one of the worst-kept secrets of the past few years, but the shape that this interest will form into is the subject of much more speculative discussion. A recent rumor circulating about Google's game controller designs turned out to be nothing more than dummy designs for a patent the company had filed, although the existence of the patent does indicate that Google has ideas about controllers in the first place. Many believe that Google will be heavily focused on the idea of game streaming rather than producing a traditional console to compete with Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo's devices.
The teaser video doesn't reveal much, but at the very least, we know when we'll learn more: March 19 at 1pm ET. The presentation will be streamed live, and comes on the back of Google sending out invites to several high-profile developers and members of the media to attend its conference. Everything seems to be pointing toward a massive reveal, and the gaming world is buzzing about what that could mean. After the announcement, Google strengthened its position even further, hiring former Ubisoft and EA Motive executive Jade Raymond as a VP.
Raymond is an industry veteran who had a huge hand in making the Assassin's Creed series a worldwide phenomenon. Her experience would be valuable to anyone, but is especially enticing to a company like Google, looking to make the first inroads into a more pronounced presence in the gaming market. Google is likely to finally reveal Project Stream, the game streaming service it has been trialling over the past bit, and having a trusted voice behind that reveal is a wise move.
Whatever's coming, Google is clearly excited about it, and that should have gaming fans interested. Blocking off a section of GDC 2019 for a keynote, inviting a bunch of developers, and hiring Raymond all point toward a product that Google feels is revolutionary. In just under a week, we'll know for certain, but for now, Google is one of the hottest names in gaming without having actually made an announcement about its next step yet.
