Google shutting all internal Stadia game studios, moving to publisher only model

twitter.com/stephentotilo/status/1356324379873968129

Inevitable really. Sad though, many talented folks flocked to Google thinking their unlimited budget would mean unlimited opportunities. Not so, apparently.

I reckon the writing is on the wall for the service itself at this point

Bye Stadia. Hopefully Amazon will see this and strawberry float off too.

I’m sure the 10 users of the service will be distraught. The whole thing has been the biggest wet fart in gaming since the N-Gage.

A small glimpse into what the future of the industry will be like as we head through the decade, absolutely, but it won’t be Google delivering it that’s for sure.

Even Apple Arcade understood the subscription model better than Google.

Yes this looks like the end of the whole platform as surely to become the Netflix of game streaming you need content and just being a publisher isn't going to cut it unless they are splashing cash out to get exclusives.

I didn't think Google would bail on Stadia game development; it leaves the service looking so weak - almost as if they themselves don't believe in it. It's only been out for just over a year!

I guess that we need more detail; maybe they're planning on really pushing other big publishers software on the format? Reading the recent positive comments from a few GRcadians in the Stadia thread I had been thinking about trying it out.

I don't even give it another year before they announce they're shutting it down completely.

SAD!

(bad for the staff though )

jawa2 wrote:...I guess that we need more detail; maybe they're planning on really pushing other big publishers software on the format?...

Kotaku wrote:The company plans to begin offering its Stadia tech to publishers, opening up the possibility for Stadia to become the streaming tech for other video game companies. Google’s head of Stadia operations, longtime console executive Phil Harrison, will focus on pursuing these new partnerships.

“We see an important opportunity to work with partners seeking a gaming solution all built on Stadia’s advanced technical infrastructure and platform tools,” Harrison wrote in a blog post today. “We believe this is the best path to building Stadia into a long-term, sustainable business that helps grow the industry.”

It appears that Stadia gaming could gradually disappear and the tech will become a service for other existing gaming companies to use; although Microsoft have their own infrastructure and Sony are in an agreement with MS for their streaming services. Maybe... Nintendo? Unlikely, but you never know.

By all accounts the technology mostly works, but software is king, pricing is secondary, and on both Microsoft and Sony are going to have their lunch.

How much money is Google willing to throw at third party publishers for an all encompassing streaming service (which is what it needs to be; this model of purchasing games separately for Stadia is a road to nowhere).

Selling the tech to Microsoft or Sony seems a non starter, as Microsoft’s efforts seem to be great. And companies like EA will likely just piggyback off them too, such as with GamePass. Apple and Amazon aren’t going to be interested either.

jawa2 wrote:

jawa2 wrote:...I guess that we need more detail; maybe they're planning on really pushing other big publishers software on the format?...

Kotaku wrote:The company plans to begin offering its Stadia tech to publishers, opening up the possibility for Stadia to become the streaming tech for other video game companies. Google’s head of Stadia operations, longtime console executive Phil Harrison, will focus on pursuing these new partnerships.

“We see an important opportunity to work with partners seeking a gaming solution all built on Stadia’s advanced technical infrastructure and platform tools,” Harrison wrote in a blog post today. “We believe this is the best path to building Stadia into a long-term, sustainable business that helps grow the industry.”

It appears that Stadia gaming could gradually disappear and the tech will become a service for other existing gaming companies to use; although Microsoft have their own infrastructure and Sony are in an agreement with MS for their streaming services. Maybe... Nintendo? Unlikely, but you never know.

I could definitely see this happening.

Aww nuts, I've really been enjoying Stadia, and only the other night I bought Immortals Fenyx on it, because no downloads etc. Also played that new Madden game on a free trial weekend, because you claim it and are playing in minutes.

To be honest, given the length of time it takes to develop new games, it always seemed a bit of a stretch that big first party exclusives would come along and save it any time soon. I didn't really get it for that anyway, more on a whim, and then just enjoyed the convenience of it.

I think 3rd party 'known' games has to be the way to go anyway if it has any sort of future. A real shame for those studios though: hopefully good developers and any promising ideas get snapped up elsewhere.

I'll still keep using it as one of my preferred ways to play, assuming it carries on as a service. But I might not buy new stuff on it now for a bit, till I see how it plays out.

They’re probably figuring, it worked for Valve.

jawa2 wrote:

jawa2 wrote:...I guess that we need more detail; maybe they're planning on really pushing other big publishers software on the format?...

Kotaku wrote:The company plans to begin offering its Stadia tech to publishers, opening up the possibility for Stadia to become the streaming tech for other video game companies. Google’s head of Stadia operations, longtime console executive Phil Harrison, will focus on pursuing these new partnerships.

“We see an important opportunity to work with partners seeking a gaming solution all built on Stadia’s advanced technical infrastructure and platform tools,” Harrison wrote in a blog post today. “We believe this is the best path to building Stadia into a long-term, sustainable business that helps grow the industry.”

It appears that Stadia gaming could gradually disappear and the tech will become a service for other existing gaming companies to use; although Microsoft have their own infrastructure and Sony are in an agreement with MS for their streaming services. Maybe... Nintendo? Unlikely, but you never know.

Don’t Nintendo already have a streaming setup, for games that won’t run on Switch?

rinks wrote:

jawa2 wrote:

jawa2 wrote:...I guess that we need more detail; maybe they're planning on really pushing other big publishers software on the format?...

Kotaku wrote:The company plans to begin offering its Stadia tech to publishers, opening up the possibility for Stadia to become the streaming tech for other video game companies. Google’s head of Stadia operations, longtime console executive Phil Harrison, will focus on pursuing these new partnerships.

“We see an important opportunity to work with partners seeking a gaming solution all built on Stadia’s advanced technical infrastructure and platform tools,” Harrison wrote in a blog post today. “We believe this is the best path to building Stadia into a long-term, sustainable business that helps grow the industry.”

It appears that Stadia gaming could gradually disappear and the tech will become a service for other existing gaming companies to use; although Microsoft have their own infrastructure and Sony are in an agreement with MS for their streaming services. Maybe... Nintendo? Unlikely, but you never know.

Don’t Nintendo already have a streaming setup, for games that won’t run on Switch?

A company called Ubitus provide that.

I wonder how much of a push Nvidia would make to partner with Nintendo on streaming. Their GeForce Now setup is pretty mature and they have ties with Nintendo from the Switch hardware side of things

Tomous wrote:

rinks wrote:

jawa2 wrote:

jawa2 wrote:...I guess that we need more detail; maybe they're planning on really pushing other big publishers software on the format?...

Kotaku wrote:The company plans to begin offering its Stadia tech to publishers, opening up the possibility for Stadia to become the streaming tech for other video game companies. Google’s head of Stadia operations, longtime console executive Phil Harrison, will focus on pursuing these new partnerships.

“We see an important opportunity to work with partners seeking a gaming solution all built on Stadia’s advanced technical infrastructure and platform tools,” Harrison wrote in a blog post today. “We believe this is the best path to building Stadia into a long-term, sustainable business that helps grow the industry.”

It appears that Stadia gaming could gradually disappear and the tech will become a service for other existing gaming companies to use; although Microsoft have their own infrastructure and Sony are in an agreement with MS for their streaming services. Maybe... Nintendo? Unlikely, but you never know.

Don’t Nintendo already have a streaming setup, for games that won’t run on Switch?

A company called Ubitus provide that.

As in, Ubitus, do we not bleed?

Time to cancel that Pro subscription, I guess. I've only purchased Cyberpunk on it so no great loss to the wallet if it tanks completely, but it's a shame as the system and service itself is great and has real potential. I'll carry on using it for as long as it lives, but the writing does seem to be on the wall.

Both Amazon and Google seem to have thought they could simply buy their way into the industry: throw a shitload of money at a problem and surely that'll solve it!

This news, coming just after Jason Schreier's expose on the nightmare unfolding over at Amazon, apparently proves this wrong.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features ... f=P6Q0mxvj

It's such a bad message to send out, they really needed a better way of getting across what they have planned instead if they do want to continue with it.

It's daft, because they'd just announced new exclusive features like State Share on Hitman 3 (which I'll admit I don't exactly understand ).

I'm burning through my Pro games now, and spent a fun hour or two on Outcasters, Hotline Miami, F1 2020 and Everspace. Just flipping between them shows this kind of thing can work.

I'll probably stick with Pro for another month or so, but really wary of buying anything new on it now. The stupid thing is, Cyberpunk showed it can work, was so successful as a promo they had to stop it, and now just as they'll have more customers from that promo, it seems they're giving up.

Maybe that's an unfair way to look at it. Maybe they've seen that model as the future instead for that exact reason. Who knows. But if that was true, they really needed to have explained it all better.

I thought Cyberpunk did alright on stadia?