Google is shutting down Stadia after three years as the cloud gaming platform failed to gain traction within the new industry. At one point the cloud gaming front seemed to be a new golden frontier for providers as a means to gain recurring revenue from subscribers and Google seemed poised to be at the forefront of it but things have not panned out as they had hoped.
From partnering with LG to an attempted rebranding, and ongoing efforts to bring more games to Stadia, things seem to have never picked up. This could easily be attributed to an oversaturated market as after NVIDIA launched its GeForce Now service many others either jumped into the pool or expanded their presence. Google, Amazon, and Netflix, along with services already in place from Microsoft and Sony, created a crowded ecosystem for cloud gaming, and perhaps there were just not enough customers to engage.
From Google:
For many years, Google has invested across multiple aspects of the gaming industry. We help developers build and distribute gaming apps on Google Play and Google Play Games. Gaming creators are reaching audiences around the world on YouTube through videos, live streaming and Shorts. And our cloud streaming technology delivers immersive gameplay at massive scale.
A few years ago, we also launched a consumer gaming service, Stadia. And while Stadia’s approach to streaming games for consumers was built on a strong technology foundation, it hasn’t gained the traction with users that we expected so we’ve made the difficult decision to begin winding down our Stadia streaming service.
We’re grateful to the dedicated Stadia players that have been with us from the start. We will be refunding all Stadia hardware purchases made through the Google Store, and all game and add-on content purchases made through the Stadia store. Players will continue to have access to their games library and play through January 18, 2023 so they can complete final play sessions. We expect to have the majority of refunds completed by mid-January, 2023. We have more details for players on this process on our Help Center.
The underlying technology platform that powers Stadia has been proven at scale and transcends gaming. We see clear opportunities to apply this technology across other parts of Google like YouTube, Google Play, and our Augmented Reality (AR) efforts — as well as make it available to our industry partners, which aligns with where we see the future of gaming headed. We remain deeply committed to gaming, and we will continue to invest in new tools, technologies and platforms that power the success of developers, industry partners, cloud customers and creators.
For the Stadia team, building and supporting Stadia from the ground up has been fueled by the same passion for games that our players have. Many of the Stadia team members will be carrying this work forward in other parts of the company. We’re so grateful for the groundbreaking work of the team and we look forward to continuing to have an impact across gaming and other industries using the foundational Stadia streaming technology.
Even though Google is shutting down Stadia it doesn’t necessarily mean it is fully retreating from the cloud gaming industry. In August some users briefly spotted a feature in Google Search that allowed the launching of games from multiple cloud gaming services. It was removed but it does show that the company could be exploring other options for cloud gaming. Google will be refunding customers for Stadia hardware, and game purchases along with add-on content. Stadia’s last day is planned for January 18, 2023.
Source: Google
Discussion (16 replies)
Join Discussion →So what about the controllers?
I guess they make nice paperweights
They are now limited edition collecttors items.
I never got one and the only person I know that did is someone I rarely see so I can't check in on this. Does anyone know if they can be paired via a normal BT connection?
Here you go and straight to the point.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/barrycollins/2022/09/30/is-your-stadia-controller-now-landfill/?sh=2ad17fd55fc9
AFAIK they only work on wifi with stadia.
Yep, according to that Forbes article, they can only work with PC via wired. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a workaround though for those desperate enough to try. I remember back in the day replacing the Windows/Intel BT drivers so that I could use a PlayStation BT controller with an old laptop.
I stand corrected.
So, when Google shuts down yet another project, and no one is around to hear, does it make a sound?.
I imagine it is like screaming into a pillow, the poor poor project, suffering its final fate.
Ubisoft is trying to help their players https://www.bluesnews.com/s/252525/ubisoft-stadia-games-will-transfer-to-ubisoft-connect
The only Stadia game I paid for was Cyberpunk, and it played pretty well back in the ugly early months when it will still mostly unplayable on PC and consoles. The controller and the chromecast were "free" with purchase. So I guess if I want to replay that without buying it, I have until January. Cannot say I am extra eager to replay though.
The controllers can be used on pc/mac with a usb cable. I wouldn't be shocked if someone figures out how to use the BT on a PC eventually. The controllers are fairly decent, it would be nice to get some kind of use out of them. My chromecast has done nothing but collect dust however... we are a Roku house. Also my TV has android built in if I do need any android TV apps like Steam cast.
The way that Google axes projects that don't fare well, no one should be shocked it's getting canned. Honestly I'm shocked it lasted this long.
Yup. I know I'm afraid to invest into anything with the Google name on it. Even "free" services, I know I'm giving up my data, and I'm afraid to invest the time to learn it. Although, I say that being hypocritical; I do use Chrome after all, and never have changed from default Google Search, and I use their news aggregator.
Gmail seems to be about the only thing that has stuck around, and even that gets reinvented all the time. Last Gmail account I set up was for an automated alert system where they didn't have an SMTP service, and then Gmail changed their authentication method and broke that.
That's decent of Ubisoft, I admit.
They should have invested b4 launching it into some good exclusive games, if you can't launch at least 3-4 of those a year you are not going to do well, but that is a big investement these days.
They should have just followed nvidia's way
Get your games where ever you want and just stream them.