Solana Labs partners with Google Cloud to launch Web3 API

Solana Labs and Google Cloud recently launched Gameshift, a game development API that aims to connect traditional Web2 experiences with Web3 services such as blockchain technology and digital asset management.

The new suite of tools was announced at the 2024 Solana Breakpoint conference during the “Game Village” sidestage events. Gameshift is the next phase of the two companies' extended partnership and is currently available on the Google Cloud Marketplace.

Bridge from Web 2 to Web 3

According to a Google Cloud blog post, Gameshift is an API that provides a full set of basic Web3 services for projects hosted in the cloud ecosystem.

The tool is mostly aimed at developers working on traditional games who want to add Web3 components such as intangible tokens (NFTs) or other digital assets to their experience. It's supposed to do a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to integrating blockchain-based services from one platform to another in a secure pipeline.

Jack Boozer, director of games at Google Cloud, described the challenge of merging the two worlds as one of building startup technology into established industries one step at a time.

“Game studios have recently been considering Web3 for new development and development approaches, but have often been discouraged by the complexity of the technology and the Web3 community. Game studios are already overburdened and need solutions like GameShift that provide a simpler technical and cultural interface to Web3.”

The way forward for Web 3

Google Cloud and Solana Labs have made it a tradition to announce new integrations in their ongoing partnership each year at the Solana Breakout event.

Cointelegraph reported in 2022 that the companies announced at that year's conference that Google Cloud was the node validator for the Solana blockchain.

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At the 2022 event, Solana announced a Web3 store and a new blockchain-enabled smartphone device.

Those who attended 2024 may have experienced déjà vù, but the latest event not only once again featured announcements from Google Cloud and the new Web3 API, but Solana unveiled the latest model in its lineup of blockchain-enabled smartphones.

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