Google decides that it no longer wants to make its own games for Stadia. Hence, it’s shutting down its studios in Los Angeles and Montreal. Read on to find out more about this platform that promised to change gaming.
Changing Course
Google Stadia is changing its course. And it decided to get out of the business of making games. Instead of making its own games, Google will offer the platform to game publishers along with Stadia Pro.
In a blog post, Google said:
“Creating best-in-class games from the ground up takes many years and significant investment, and the cost is going up exponentially. Given our focus on building on the proven technology of Stadia as well as deepening our business partnerships, we’ve decided that we will not be investing further in bringing exclusive content from our internal development team SG&E, beyond any near-term planned games.”
https://blog.google/products/stadia/focusing-on-stadias-future-as-a-platform-and-winding-down-sge/
Before this news came out, people have been hearing talks about Stadia heading for a major change. And the reports are true.
Google canceled various projects especially games that are to be released beyond 2021. However, games that will be published soon will still come out.
The shut down of its studios will affect 150 developers. However, Google may assign them new roles within the company.
Jade Raymond Leaves Google
He’s a veteran game producer. He helped in building Assassin’s Creed. He also worked at EA for several years before he led Stadia’s game studio.
But after Google’s decision to shut down its studios, Jade will exit the company.
What does it mean to Stadia Subscribers?
Google Stadia platform won’t be shutting down. It’ll continue to operate as a gaming service. Thus, if you’re a subscriber you can still continue the monthly Pro service.
However, Google didn’t clarify the number of exclusive games that will be released to the service. But it did say that it’s bringing third-party releases to the service.
The company will offer the platform to publishers, thereby, providing more chances for the platform to be streaming tech for video game companies. Google will pursue new partnerships with these companies.
By partnering with game companies, Google believes that Stadia will be a sustainable business.
Stadia has some exciting features. For instance, it allows players to pass control of the live-streamed game. Players can also share games. However, these features are still in the testing phase.
Many popular games, like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, did well on this platform.
However, the platform struggled to compete well. It doesn’t have notable exclusive games. Unlike Google Stadia, Microsoft improved its xCloud cloud gaming service. As a result, it affected Stadia’s value. It also makes Stadia less attractive to hardcore gamers.
When you read the blog post completely, you can say that Google wants to partner with publishers, instead of competing with them because Google can’t win.
Google didn’t publish Stadia’s number of subscribers and sales. In that case, no one but Google knows the number of people who really tried the service.
