What happened to Stadia, Google’s game streaming device that will ‘revolutionize’ the market?

Google Stadia was surprisingly announced in March 2019. After all, the owner of services such as Android, YouTube and the market’s most popular search engine was taking a rare step into the gaming industry.

The service had a bold and innovative initial offering for the time. he was subscription game streaming platformIt was a system that did not require special hardware and could run on a variety of devices, from computers to mobile phones.

However, a series of errors and the company’s policy of not starting immediately led to the end of Stadia that many had dreamed of. Then remember and understand the short life history of this service.

How did Google Stadia work?

Stadia had two usage modes. Inside “Basis“, the player had to purchase games on the platform individually and could only stream them in up to 1080p. By subscription “Stadia Pro“, resolution jumps to 4K and Google promised”At least two titles at no additional monthly cost to the player“, in addition to discounts in the store.

The company charged US$129 (just over R$700) for the bundle with the Chromecast Ultra controller. Destiny 2 and three-month subscription. The monthly fee was US$10 (approximately R$50)However Stadia never officially launched in Brazil.

Actor Cast to TV via Chromecast or else Use Google Chrome browser on other devices. Games in the library include independent games as well as releases from companies such as Ubisoft, Crystal Dynamics, CD Projekt RED and EA.

As an alternative to models of other brands, Google launches a controller for Stadia It was required to play via Chromecast. she still Fast integration with YouTube promisedIncluding sharing and publishing clips. But quality also depends on the player’s hardware capability and a good internet connection.

The company has even set up a development studio to create exclusive and original content to confirm that it is truly committed to the industry. He was involved in the management of Stadia Games and Entertainment Jade RaymondProducer of Assassin’s Creed and founder of Motive Studios.

Head of Stadia department PhilHarrisonIndustry veteran, having been at Sony (first as part of the team at PlayStation and Microsoft (as vice president of Xbox in Europe). Shannon StudstillThe executive producer of God of War (2018) was recruited from Santa Monica Studio to join the team in 2020.

What’s wrong with Stadia?

Stadia over the years Didn’t speed up as Google wanted. According to the British regulatory agency CMA, Around 750 thousand monthly users were reached by the end of 2020low numbers and low retention of new players. in 2022 had less than 5 percent of the market share cloud gaming industry, although it has few competitors.

Among the various reasons why the platform fails, one of the most frequently cited reasons is lack of content. Google Stadia there were almost no major exclusives from their own studios or partnersin addition to a reduced catalogue.

The business model was also seen as flawedespecially since the games are not offered “free” to users like other subscription services. The public found the offering confusing, including the optionality of control and the benefits of a Pro subscription, and it took time for the service to expand to more regions outside the US and Canada.

Google’s rush for results was also a problem: The company was known for quickly discontinuing products and services if it found they were not performing as desired. And it really happened because It never bothered rivals like Xbox Cloud Gaming or Nvidia GeForce Now. Amazon, which launched Luna in 2020, was another company in the same industry that failed to achieve the expected results.

An expected end

Since the service’s launch in November 2019, Google has always reinforced that “I was still determined“With Stadia – that’s usually not a good sign for a product.

Announced the end of the Stadia platform at the end of September 2022 as a whole in a message written by Phil Harrison, who would leave the company the following year. A year ago, the private studio was closed with no consequences and the team suffered layoffs.

On January 18, 2023, servers officially shut downThis means that the game library and platform become inaccessible. In the same period, the company had already processed most of the automatic refunds make it available to the public by purchasing games and additional content.

Additionally, the Stadia controller has received an update to turn it into an accessory compatible with other platforms via Bluetooth connectivity.

What did Google do with Stadia?

According to Google, over the three years of Stadia’s operation it has been possible to learn a lot about streaming content and games. Although the platform was not successful, the company tried to take positive points from the experience, especially by managing to implement a technically feasible broadcast project.

“Google”Open opportunities to apply this technology“As well as licensing to interested parties in other verticals such as YouTube, Google Play and Augmented Reality. Also”deeply attached to games” — although so far it hasn’t announced any new plans beyond Google Play Store games on PC.

“For the Stadia team, building and supporting Stadia from the ground up was made possible by the same passion for gaming as our players. Many Stadia team members will continue this work elsewhere in the company. We are grateful for the team’s innovative work and look forward to continuing to impact gaming and other industries using Stadia’s core streaming technology,” Harrison said in the project’s farewell message.