Solana Launches GameShift API on Google Cloud

Solana Labs has expanded its partnership with Google Cloud, with its web3 gaming API, GameShift, now available to Google Cloud customers.

Announced on May 2, Solana said the deal will make it easier for developers to explore web3 gaming technology and build blockchain-based features into their releases.

“Our mission is to drive mainstream adoption of blockchain technology in gaming,” said Davis Hart, the head of GameShift. “GameShift becoming part of Google Cloud’s partner ecosystem allows us to accelerate mainstream adoption by extending these capabilities to their vast, global developer ecosystem.”

Solana describes GameShift as a user-friendly API that abstracts away the complexity typically associated with developing games leveraging blockchain capabilities.

These features include in-game minting of Solana-based digital assets, branded in-game marketplaces, transaction fees and key management services, and non-custodial wallets.

“Many game studios built on Google Cloud want to tap into the creative potential of Web3 technology, but the inherent technical complexities have been a major barrier to broader adoption,” said Jack Buser, Director for Games at Google Cloud. “By bringing GameShift into Google Cloud’s ecosystem for living games, we’re giving developers a streamlined path to build immersive blockchain experiences without wrestling with the underlying technology.”

GameShift also facilitates credit card and banking integrations for payments and payouts.

Google Cloud x Solana

Google Cloud first teamed up with Solana in November 2022 when the company revealed it was operating a block-producing Solana validator.

Google Cloud then followed up on Oct. 26, 2023 by announcing that Blockchain Node Engine had begun providing Solana node management services.

One week later, the Solana Foundation announced that Google Cloud had added Solana data to its public data set program for BigQuery — Google Cloud’s serverless data platform offering machine learning and artificial intelligence capabilities.

In April 2023, Dan Albert, the executive director of the Solana Foundation, said that Solana’s then-pending collaborations with Google Cloud would significantly benefit developers working on web3 gaming applications.

“We’re really excited about the support that Google Cloud is bringing to the Solana ecosystem,” Albert said. “An area where I see a big wave of adoption coming is in gaming, they are seeking experiences that are not only fun, but also bringing new modes of play to their users.”

The price of Solana’s network token, SOL, rallied 9.6% in the past 24 hours to last change hands for $133.2, according to CoinGecko.