Google Calls it Quits on Game Streaming, Shutting Down Stadia

[TheLostSwede]

Game streaming services, such as GeForce Now, Stadia and Amazon's Luna, haven't been the roaring success the companies behind them had hoped for. One of the pitfalls, that NVIDIA quickly found out, was that the game publishers weren't overly keen on gamers being able to play games they already owned on multiple systems, even if it wasn't on more than one system at once. Multiple services have already come and gone over the years and now it's time for Google to bid farewell to its Stadia service. In its blog post, Google didn't state the exact reasoning behind shutting down the service, beyond it not gaining the kind of traction the company had hoped for.

The good news here is that Google will be refunding all of its Stadia customers, regardless if it's someone that has bought hardware through the Google Store, or bought games or even add-on content for games through the Stadia Store. Google will be refunding all of its customers by the 18th of January 2023 and those using Stadia will continue to have access to all of their content until that date. Google expects its Stadia technology to be used for other services, or potentially be made available to third parties. As to the team behind Stadia, many will apparently carry on working for other departments at Google.



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[sam_86314]

First reaction: That didn't take long.

Second reaction: Holy crap, has it really been three years? How'd it last that long?

 

[cvaldes]

Google Stadia launched in November 2019.

Once the pandemic hit and video gaming exploded, they probably hoped that Stadia would see big gains in adoption. It didn't and now it's time to say goodbye. They had their best chance and consumers didn't take to the service.

 

[trparky]

Another one bites the dust
Another one bites the dust
And another one gone and another one gone
Another one bites the dust

Called it, I knew that this would join the Google Graveyard.

 

[Rahnak]

Worldwide reaction to this news:

 

[erocker]

I'd say I'm shocked but I thought Google already made this decision. I guess I'm a little shocked it didn't happen sooner.

 

[cvaldes]

Interestingly Google says it won't require physical hardware purchases to be return.

That means I scored a free gamepad and Chromecast (3rd gen?). The Stadia controller works fine as a generic wired Xinput gamepad (not sure about wireless connectivity though).

 

[ir_cow]

That didn't take long. This is why you can't trust buying cloud games. The services always shut down so quickly. Basically you gotta buy it all over again.

 

[cvaldes]

That didn't take long. This is why you can't trust buying cloud games. The services always shut down so quickly. Basically you gotta buy it all over again.

What other cloud gaming services "shut down so quickly"?

To their credit, Google is refunding content purchases (including add-on content) as well as hardware purchased through the Stadia and Google Stores. So yes, one would have to repurchase the game but they wouldn't be out any extra cash in the end.

I still believe that cloud game streaming has a niche; some company will eventually figure out the right combination of content, hardware, software and pricing to make this happen. My guess is that it will happen on mobile (handhelds like smartphones or notebook PCs) before it ends up on desktop PCs.

 

[qlum]

That didn't take long. This is why you can't trust buying cloud games. The services always shut down so quickly. Basically you gotta buy it all over again.

While I kind of agree with the sentiment, in this case google is refunding everything, so essentially allowing you to play everything just on interest.
If all companies operated like that I really would not worry about it, sadly they don't.

 

[ir_cow]

What other cloud gaming services "shut down so quickly"?

To their credit, Google is refunding content purchases (including add-on content) as well as hardware purchased through the Stadia and Google Stores. So yes, one would have to repurchase the game but they wouldn't be out any extra cash in the end.

All of them lol. DIdn't Gamefly have one? and some other big one before that? I just looked up cloud gaming and about 10 services exist. Besides Xbox and PlayStation, I don't trust the rest to be around more than a year. Total waste of money. If Google can't throw enough money at this, no one can.

While I kind of agree with the sentiment, in this case google is refunding everything, so essentially allowing you to play everything just on interest.
If all companies operated like that I really would not worry about it, sadly they don't.

Power to Google!

 

[Denver]

Well .. I always knew this was unfeasible and a stupid investment. I wonder how a multi-billion dollar company makes such aimless decisions

 

[cvaldes]

All of them lol. DIdn't Gamefly have one? and some other big one before that? I just looked up cloud gaming and about 10 services exist. Besides Xbox and PlayStation, I don't trust the rest to be around more than a year. Total waste of money. If Google can't throw enough money at this, no one can.

The big difference between Google and their big competitors like Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo is that Google isn't a content company and also had no history in gaming. They quickly closed their in-house game studio which came to no one's surprise since they aren't a content focused company.

EA acquired the cloud streaming technology of GameFly in 2018.

Some company is going to figure this out and the chances are it'll be one of the big video game companies perhaps using technology acquired from a startup.

Signing up for a cloud streaming GaaS from a small startup is highly risky for Joe Consumer.

 

[DeathtoGnomes]

The writing has been on the wall for a while. From the end of July:

Rumors raise the doubt that Google Stadia service will last much longer.

Anyone adamant enough to follow any gaming news should recall Google opening its own gaming studios with HUGE promises. Events, including those of the competition, since that announcement has seen Google shutdown its development studios and kick about 150 employees to the curb...

www.techpowerup.com

 

[cvaldes]

The writing has been on the wall for a while. From the end of July:

Rumors raise the doubt that Google Stadia service will last much longer.

Anyone adamant enough to follow any gaming news should recall Google opening its own gaming studios with HUGE promises. Events, including those of the competition, since that announcement has seen Google shutdown its development studios and kick about 150 employees to the curb...

www.techpowerup.com

The writing was plastered on the wall in 3 meter high letters when they shut down their two in-house studio locations in February 2021.

 

[AusWolf]

It will be dearly missed by both of its fans worldwide.

 

[DeathtoGnomes]

The writing was plastered on the wall in 3 meter high letters when they shut down their two in-house studios in February 2021.

That happens all the time in the business, studios come and go, a lot. Thats why I dismissed that, but, if it had been successive studios over a short period of time, than yea.

It will be dearly missed by both of its fans worldwide.

Which fans would those be?

 

[64K]

No matter all the evidence some will still believe the future of PC gaming is cloud based. It reminds me of 12 years ago when the chicken littles were crying out that PC gaming was dying. Now look at us. Growing by billions of dollars every year. Larger revenue than either Xboxes or Playstations. It's the opposite of dying. It's so ridiculously lucrative that MS and Sony have started porting over their former console exclusives to PC just to cash in on the fortune of yearly PC gaming revenue.

 

[AusWolf]

Which fans would those be?

The ones that work for Google.

No matter all the evidence some will still believe the future of PC gaming is cloud based. It reminds me of 12 years ago when the chicken littles were crying out that PC gaming was dying. Now look at us. Growing by billions of dollars every year. Larger revenue than either Xboxes or Playstations. It's the opposite of dying. It's so ridiculously lucrative that MS and Sony have started porting over their former console exclusives to PC just to cash in on the fortune of yearly PC gaming revenue.

Yeah. And in the '60s, bacon and eggs was considered the healthiest dish one could eat. Fads come and go. Just because a company, or several companies say "this is the future", it isn't necessarily true. "This is the future" is more often just a marketing statement rather than a fact.

 

[DeathtoGnomes]

No matter all the evidence some will still believe the future of PC gaming is cloud based. It reminds me of 12 years ago when the chicken littles were crying out that PC gaming was dying. Now look at us. Growing by billions of dollars every year. Larger revenue than either Xboxes or Playstations. It's the opposite of dying. It's so ridiculously lucrative that MS and Sony have started porting over their former console exclusives to PC just to cash in on the fortune of yearly PC gaming revenue.

Now that the Pandemic is officially over (Our president said so!) those chicken littles will return in force. Stadia may have been worth having for a short while when one was stuck as home.

You have to admit that the PC grew because of the pandemic and will decline now, somewhat, it wont crash at least.

 

[cvaldes]

Looking at the video game industry in the old paradigm of a desktop PC with a discrete graphics card running Windows or a console like Xbox is antiquated.

Most gaming revenue is coming from mobile these days.

People playing games on their smartphones really don't want 50 GB downloads and see their batteries drain in an hour. Even Minecraft on iOS is nearly a 1 GB download.

 

[DeathtoGnomes]

Looking at the video game industry in the old paradigm of a desktop PC with a discrete graphics card running Windows or a console like Xbox is antiquated.

Most gaming revenue is coming from mobile these days.

People playing games on their smartphones really don't want 50 GB downloads and see their batteries drain in an hour. Even Minecraft on iOS is nearly a 1 GB download.

Some phone are closed to or already at TB storage, so 50GB may be insignificant to those phones.

 

[64K]

Looking at the video game industry in the old paradigm of a desktop PC with a discrete graphics card running Windows or a console like Xbox is antiquated.

Most gaming revenue is coming from mobile these days.

People playing games on their smartphones really don't want 50 GB downloads and see their batteries drain in an hour. Even Minecraft on iOS is nearly a 1 GB download.

That is true. Mobile gaming is the number one revenue producer but PC gaming is second and is still growing and was growing even before the pandemic.

 

[cvaldes]

Some phone are closed to or already at TB storage, so 50GB may be insignificant to those phones.

Yes, the top 2% of handsets. Joe Consumer (especially in countries not named the United States of America) doesn't own the latest and greatest from Apple or Samsung.

PUBG Mobile is 2.2 GB. CoD Mobile is 2.5 GB. Apex Legends Mobile is 3.5 GB. Those are big downloads and that doesn't address the battery demands of 3D graphics on these devices.

Let's face it, most of the world isn't running the latest iPhone 14 Max or whatever Samsung's just released flagship handset.

That is true. Mobile gaming is the number one revenue producer but PC gaming is second and is still growing and was growing even before the pandemic.

All platform segments of gaming are growing but mobile has grown faster than the others which is why it is #1 today. As a percentage of the total gaming revenue, mobile will outpace PC and console gaming in growth.

 

[trparky]

This is why you can't trust Google.

FTFY