Today, Google announced its intention to shut down its in-house game development studios for Stadia, focusing instead on offering its platform to existing developers. Google admittedly has a long history of releasing consumer products only to abandon them altogether, though this news may come as a surprise to dedicated followers of the platform.
Google has made great strides to expand Stadia's accessibility for users living in different countries and across different devices, but many players have been hesitant to adopt the platform for several reasons. Although rumors of Google Stadia receiving a major change have surfaced online as of late, the company made an official announcement via its blog today.
Google announced that its first-party game studios, one in Montreal and the other in Los Angeles, are closing. Neither has released any games, though titles close to release were believed to have guaranteed release dates. The closures will affect close to 150 developers, though the company has promised to find those developers new roles at Google.
Additionally, veteran producer Jade Raymond is exiting the company. Raymond is known for her role in helping to build Assassin's Creed for Ubisoft, and operated under EA several years before leaving to run game creation at Stadia.
Despite this, Google is still planning to operate Stadia and its $10 monthly service, Stadia Pro. The company also plans to offer its Stadia technology to publishers, deepening business partnerships and opening the door for the streaming platform to become the gaming solution for video game companies. "We believe this is the best path to building Stadia into a long-term, sustainable business that helps grow the industry," wrote Google's head of Stadia operations Phil Harrison.
Some of the best showcases of Stadia's longevity as a cloud gaming service have come in the form of its third-party ports. Graphically intensive games such as Cyberpunk 2077 and Red Dead Redemption 2 ran smoothly despite having issues on release for last-gen consoles. Similarly, looter shooter games like Destiny 2 and The Division 2 allowed players to jump into a raid or quest from their phone or laptop without the need for a full gaming setup.
In any case, it is clear that Google isn't pulling out of the streaming game entirely. The company is still committed to the future of cloud gaming, and only time will tell if Stadia will find its ending in the Google Graveyard.