Charter Communications has made a strategic investment in Blade, a tech startup that is behind the cloud-based computer gaming platform Shadow.
The platform launched a year ago in the United States and Europe, and Blade says Charter’s investment will help support the company’s expansion in the U.S.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Blade will leverage its specialized cloud processing combined with Charter’s fiber-based network to enhance the startup’s entertainment platform and deliver new experiences for nearly 28 million customers.
“Blade’s leading Cloud PC technology is at the forefront of enabling the next wave of immersive experiences for the consumer,” said Andrew Ip, SVP of Emerging Technology and Innovation for Charter, in a statement. “The Shadow experience is an example of the service set that can be enhanced by Charter’s state-of-the-art, fiber powered network. This combination will bring a superior experience to Shadow users on Charter’s network and further differentiate Charter from its competitors by extending powerful computing needs to our customers whether they be the most avid gamer or are simply looking for enhanced personal computing experiences.”
With the investment, Blade will also continue to make new hires in Europe and the U.S. to support its international growth plans.
“Working with this major technology leader is not just exciting for us as a company but it validates Blade’s technological achievements in the field,” said Asher Kagan, co-founder and CEO of Blade. “Our new partner shares the same vision, values and goals when it comes to the future application of cloud computing and how to scale the ecosystem. Charter is the missing communications link in our service delivery cycle and it is inspiring to be working with them.”
Blade also announced partnerships with gaming studio Ubisoft Nadeo Studio for exclusive content from its titles, as well as Dallas-based esports company Team Envy to bring esports-grade competition to the Shadow platform. Through the Team Envy partnership, Blade says gamers will be able to play on the same style of system as their favorite esports teams while at home, without having to overspend.