EdgeNext | Building the Edge for What's Next

Overview

Giant Network Group is a globally recognized developer and publisher of PC, mobile, and console games. Established in 2004 and headquartered in Shanghai, the company has built a strong reputation through its diverse game portfolio and technological innovation. As China's gaming industry continues its rapid ascent, the market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14% from 2021 to 2026. By 2021, the Chinese online gaming market had already reached $49 billion in revenue, illustrating the massive opportunity and equally high operational demands placed on game publishers like Giant Network.

Customer Needs and Challenges

Credential Stuffing and DDoS Attacks: With millions of active accounts, the platform was a target for malicious login attempts, automated bot traffic, and coordinated DDoS campaigns. Third-party plug-ins further compounded security risks by exposing vulnerabilities that could be exploited to disrupt user experience.
Heavy Load at Origin: During game launches, updates, or in-game events, the surge in simultaneous player access placed extreme stress on the origin servers. This not only slowed game updates but also negatively impacted response times and availability.
End-to-End Latency: With real-time interactions being core to multiplayer gaming, latency issues at any point in the content delivery pipeline could degrade the user experience. Lag during gameplay or delays in patch downloads could lead to player dissatisfaction or churn.

EdgeNext's Tailored Solution

Whole Application Acceleration
EdgeNext accelerated content delivery across the entire application stack, ensuring that gameplay, updates, and interactive features loaded instantly and ran smoothly.
End-to-End Security Protection
Powered by a lightweight SDK and UDP-based streaming, EdgeNext minimized latency to under 150ms while providing robust protection through behavioral analytics, AI-driven threat detection, and real-time traffic analysis. The platform intercepted over 9 million credential stuffing and scan attacks, and mitigated over 100,000 origin-based unknown attacks.
Globally Distributed Network
With over 1,500 high-quality Points of Presence (PoPs), EdgeNext ensured low-latency access to game resources from any location. Game installation packages, updates, and patches were strategically cached at the edge, reducing origin server loads and supporting high concurrency during peak times such as promotions or large-scale in-game events.

Applied Products and Services

Product/Service	Description
Whole Application Acceleration	Boosts load speed across the full application lifecycle.
End-to-End Security Protection	Protects against DDoS, credential abuse, and unknown threats.
UDP Streaming	Ensures ultra-low-latency video/audio transmission.
Lightweight SDK	Enables seamless integration and minimal client-side overhead.
Intelligent Routing	Directs user traffic through optimal paths based on real-time conditions.

Key Takeaway

With EdgeNext's CDN and edge security infrastructure in place, Giant Network achieved significant improvements in both performance and threat prevention. The CDN offloaded traffic from the origin, ensuring scalability, while the security solution reduced false alerts by 80% and delivered consistent protection without interrupting user experience. These enhancements allowed Giant Network to focus on delivering innovative content and building stronger connections with their players worldwide.