Tequila Works has confirmed that its Stadia exclusive horror title GYLT will be coming to other platforms sometime next year. This announcement comes after Google revealed in September that Stadia will shut down on January 18, 2023, and many people expressed concern about games like GYLT that were either released solely on that platform or had Stadia exclusive features.GYLT was the first exclusive title released on Google Stadia and is an action-adventure game with puzzle and spooky elements. Covering themes like bullying and childhood nightmares, the game puts players in the role of Sally, who is on a quest to track down her missing cousin Emily and delves into a creepy world populated by frightening creatures.In a tweet posted soon after the announcement of Google Stadia’s shutdown, Tequila Works cofounder Raúl Rubio Munárriz shared that GYLT will not disappear with the service. A brief post on the developer’s official website specified that the horror title will be making the move to other platforms in 2023, though the exact date and platforms have not yet been revealed. The blurb says, “We’ve been working on it for a long time and it’s finally time to make it official.” Before the game even launched, Google had already stated that GYLT would only be a timed exclusive on the platform, so this is not entirely unexpected.
Other titles that released as Google Stadia exclusives have already launched on other platforms. Get Packed: Fully Loaded was one of the highest rated games on Stadia when it released in 2020 and has since seen success on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. However, there are still a few titles that may no longer be accessible once the service officially shuts down, including PixelJunk Raiders, Outcasters, Pac-Man Mega Tunnel Battle, and Hello Engineer from tinyBuild the developer of Hello Neighbor.
Even though Google is offering full refunds for all Stadia games, in-game purchases, and hardware, that still leaves many players in a tough spot. Some titles require a huge time investment and gameplay milestones, and the prospect of losing all of that hard work has left a lot of gamers very unhappy. Both IO Interactive and Ubisoft have stated that they are working to bring Stadia users’ games to PC and other platforms, hopefully with their progress intact.
When Google launched Stadia in 2019, the cloud gaming service was met with skepticism on many fronts. The company has a reputation for starting and then canceling even popular services, many of them after only a few years in operation. This uncertainty about the longevity of Google Stadia may have ironically contributed to its downfall.
GYLT is currently available on Google Stadia and will be released on other platforms in 2023.
Sources: Tequila Works, Kotaku