Francesco P. D'Elia
The last few months have been filled with rumors and speculation about the future of Google Stadia, (especially after google’s shutting down its in-house game dev team) and it seems that the writing is finally on the wall. Also According to a new report from The Verge, Google was preparing to shutter its game streaming service and has already begun the process of winding down operations.
But now It’s official: Google Stadia is shutting down. The company announced the news in a blog post last September, less than two years after the gaming platform launched.
Google Stadia was supposed to be the future of gaming. A platform where you could play any game, anywhere, on any device. But it was anything but that.
What was Google Stadia?
Google Stadia ws a cloud gaming platform that was announced at the Game Developers Conference in March 2019. It was released in November of the same year. The platform allowed users to play video games on any device with an internet connection, including personal computers, laptops, smartphones, and tablets. There was no need for a console, as all games are streamed from servers. Google Stadia was compatible with 4K and HDR displays, and the platform supports 5.1 surround sound. The control input is either a keyboard and mouse or a gamepad.
Google Stadia had over 30 games available at launch, including Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Borderlands 3, Destiny 2, DOOM Eternal, and Football Manager 2020. The platform also had a free tier, which offers a selection of free-to-play games, such as Apex Legends, Destiny 2, and Farmer’s Dynasty. In addition to games, Google Stadia also offered a variety of other entertainment options, such as movies and TV shows.
The pricing model for Google Stadia was either a monthly subscription or individual game purchases. The subscription, called Stadia Pro, costed $9.99/month and included access to a library of free games, as well as discounts on game purchases. There was also a free tier, which does not include any free games, but does allow users to purchase and play games.
Google Stadia has received mixed reviews since its launch. Some critics have praised the platform for its ease of use and the quality of the streaming, while others have criticized it for its lack of stability (due to internet connections of different quality around the world) and lack of support for certain devices.
Why google stadia failed?
This is obviously a huge disappointment for those who were hoping that Stadia would be the future of gaming. And it’s especially frustrating for those who have already invested money in the service. But it’s also not entirely surprising.
The platform has struggled to find its footing since launch, and it has failed to gain the traction that Google had hoped for.
There are a number of factors that likely contributed to Stadia’s demise. The writing has been on the wall for Stadia for a while now. The platform never had a large selection of exclusive games, and many of the titles that were available could also be played on other gaming consoles or PC. The pricing structure was also confusing, and it was often cheaper to buy a game outright than to rent it through Stadia.
The service has been plagued by a lack of quality games, buggy software, and an overpriced subscription model. Google has also been slow to roll out features that were promised at launch, like 4K streaming and family sharing. As a result, Stadia has failed to gain any real traction with gamers. The platform has only managed to acquire around 2 million users, a far cry from the 10 million that Google had originally predicted.
They’ve also underestimated the power of traditional gaming platforms. Sony and Microsoft both have entrenched positions in the console market, and they weren’t about to give up ground to a new entrant.
It’s likely that Google simply didn’t want to invest the time and resources necessary to make Stadia a success.
The Big G has not said what will happen to the Stadia team after the shutdown, but it is likely that many of the employees will be reassigned to other projects within the company.
With Google now starting to shut down Stadia, it’s unclear what will happen to the company’s investment in game developers. Google has poured millions of dollars into studios like Ubisoft and Harmonix, with the hope that they would create exclusive games for Stadia. If Stadia does indeed shut down, it’s likely that those studios will simply move their projects to other platforms.
This news comes as a major blow to the game streaming industry, which has been struggling to gain traction in the market. Google’s entry into the space was seen as a major validation of the technology, but it seems that the company has finally given up on the dream.
The shutdown means that all games purchased on Stadia will no longer be playable after 18th January 2023. Google is offering refunds for any games that have been bought but not played, and it is also giving away two free months of Stadia Pro to anyone who signs up before the shutdown date.
It’s a shame to see Stadia go, as it was an innovative service that had the potential to change the gaming landscape. Google has a history of killing off services that don’t perform as well as they hoped. And in this case Stadia just couldn’t find its footing, and now it will be relegated to the dustbin of history.
