Crimson Desert demo uses Amazon GameLift Streams for no-download play

Pearl Abyss launched a no-download demo for Crimson Desert on Twitch on August 31. The demo uses Amazon’s GameLift Streams to provide roughly 20 minutes of in-browser gameplay that loads in under three seconds. Pearl Abyss marketing director Will Powers says the format allows people with a PC to play the game without the studio releasing code that could be reverse engineered or cracked.

Image: GamesBeat

The demo is one of five titles to use GameLift Streams, joining Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Reanimal, Palworld, and World of Tanks: Heat. According to Pearl Abyss and AWS, players spend an average of five and a half minutes in the demo, with most staying for over five minutes. About 60 to 70 percent of the audience originates from the Americas.

Amazon says it plans to expand GameLift Streams in the coming year by improving the technology and adding more locations to access demos. Shayan Sanyal, who leads business development for the company's gaming division, says the company wants to eventually provide a service that allows clients to host no-download demos anywhere, not just on Twitch. Sanyal did not say if Amazon plans to add a reward system similar to Discord's Quests to the roadmap.