Google LLC is moving forward with its game streaming project with a new partnership with Ubisoft Entertainment SA and a trial of a blockbuster game to go with it.

Previously known internally as “Yeti,” the service, now known as Project Stream, is a “technical test to solve some of the biggest challenges of streaming,” according to Google.

The idea, not a new one, is to facilitate the streaming of games from an external source with the ultimate aim of replacing the need for physical media or specialized hardware in the same way music and video have gone in the same direction.

The first test of the service will be open to a “limited number of participants” who will be able to play Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Odyssey via desktop Chrome browsers. That’s a notable change to previous reports that suggested the service may be available only via Chromecast devices or possibly a future Google-made gaming console.

The support for desktop versions of Chrome means the technology is also operating system agnostic with any user of Chrome on Windows, macOS, Linux and Chrome OS able to use the service.

There some minimum requirements including a recommended minimum of a 25-megabits-per-second internet connection while users will need both a Google and a Ubisoft account. The game can be controlled via keyboard and mouse or via a USB game controller. Google notes that recent PlayStation or Xbox controllers will work with the service.

“Streaming media has transformed the way we consume music and video, making it easy to instantly access your favorite content,” Google Product Manager Catherine Hsiao said in a blog post. “It’s a technically complex process that has come a long way in a few short years, but the next technical frontier for streaming will be much more demanding than video.”

Hsiao said Google has been working on Project Stream, which she described as a technical test to solve some of the biggest challenges of streaming. “For this test, we’re going to push the limits with one of the most demanding applications for streaming — a blockbuster video game,” she said.

Google’s Stream isn’t the only platform offering a streaming version of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. The game is also available for streaming on the Nintendo Switch, but the key here is the platform-agnostic use of Google Chrome.

If it’s successful, the technology could open up game streaming to the masses. And for Google, it doesn’t hurt that it will be available only through Chrome.

Image: Google