clarry: I don't know how well it ran, but I don't think it even needs to run that well. There are too many sheep who will do whatever the big corps tell they need to do in order to get to play a game. And there is no doubt whatsoever that big corps will be coercing people into using these services. Yes, it is
a thing in the future. I wouldn't phrase it as
the future, because it won't displace local gaming and it won't be where we're all headed.
While marketing and corporate pushing absolutely has an effect, I think it's much more about convenience and cost savings. People rushes to Netflix because they could come home from work, plop on the couch, hit a few buttons on a remote and watch a ton of stuff for $10 a month. With game streaming it's going to be the same thing, that's why they're putting out all these subscription services at the same time. No hardware expense, $20 a month or whatever, come home and plop down and grab a controller and go.
The average consumer absolutely craves more convenience and less cost. They have real lives, and care less about stuff enthusiasts care about. They just want a distraction for a while, and want it as easily and cheaply as possible. Corporations can't force people to buy things they don't want, and this is all about corporations playing into what consumers want while also benefiting themselves.