Google has announced that it will be shutting down its Stadia video game streaming service, ending on January 18, 2023.
new blogthe search engine company revealed that Stadia “hasn’t had the user following it hoped,” resulting in the company making the “difficult” decision to start scaling down the service. Refunds to users who purchased hardware or games from Google and Stadia.
“Thank you to our dedicated Stadia players who have been with us since the beginning. We will be refunding all Stadia hardware purchased through the Google Store, as well as all games and add-on content purchased through the Stadia Store.”
Players will still be able to access the game library and play until January 18th.
Stadia is Google’s cloud gaming service that allows users to stream video games, including AAA titles such as Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Cyberpunk 2077, directly through Google cloud services. In other words, there was no need to buy physical hardware as long as someone had access to Google Chrome. However, there were dedicated controllers that players could purchase.
According to Google, the underlying technology behind Stadia has proven to be strong, and Google has already begun offering Stadia as a white-label product. That means other companies can use the technology without being part of his Stadia ecosystem.
AT&T, for example, used Stadia technology to make Batman: Arkham Knight free to users. Google says it will use the technology to power other parts of Google, including YouTube, Google Play and augmented reality.
Stadia’s shutdown isn’t the end of video game streaming. Xbox and Nvidia offer cloud gaming as part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and GeForce Now, respectively. Logitgech makes a dedicated cloud gaming handheld called the Logitech G.
Instantly launching a game on Chrome or Chromecast feels like magic, and Stadia’s tech reduces lag and other streaming-based issues, but Stadia’s main problem has always been its catalog and the realization It was a promised feature that didn’t make it. Read our Stadia review for our full impressions.
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