Well, I did not quite expect to come across this news. According to The Keyword, “Stadia is finalizing its in-house game development studios, called” Stadia Games & Entertainment “, to focus on its third-party partnerships. Before we go any further, it’s important to note that Stadia itself is alive and well and that Stadia Games & Entertainment (SG&E) is only Google’s first party-own attempt to create games for their own platform.
Although it is difficult to determine which games were developed by the SG&E team, they are as follows: None. That’s right, in the two years that his studios have not seen a single title from Google, we have not seen one come out once, because, “Creating the best in class games from the beginning takes many years and many investments, and costs are rising exponentially. ”
However, they have published several titles on behalf of other developers. GYLT, Orcs must die! 3, Immersed: Hidden Depths, and Outcasters all moved to the platform using Google, but none of them, except Outcasters, apparently had much hype around them. Google’s decision is understandable and it even makes sense if you think about how much time and effort they put into building Stadia’s infrastructure.
Stadia’s vice president and GM, Phil Harrison, said the company will focus its efforts going forward on helping game developers leverage their technology and deliver games directly to players. To do so, they will continue to offer development equipment, technical assistance and even funding through their Stadia Maker program. All games they planned to personally develop after 2021 have been canceled, and most of the team are shuffling to get new roles in other departments at Google. What does this mean for Stadia gamers exactly? Is this all the end? Nope.
“We see an important opportunity to work with partners looking for 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 way to build Stadia into a long-term, sustainable business that helps grow the industry.”
Phil Harrison
With over 400 games coming from third parties over the next few years – something recently announced, probably with today’s news in mind – the Stadia team has big plans for the future, and you can continue to buy and play games like it’s another Tuesday. In fact, ‘GraceFromGoogle’ took the time to repeat on Reddit. Since SG & E has done virtually nothing for Stadia from a consumer-oriented perspective, nothing is changing.
I personally do not believe that Stadia as a platform is the end, and unlike ‘Killed by Google’, I think the ‘Google Graveyard’ is a myth. Any and all innovations created by Google are always doing the next venture. What I’m saying is that the company is basically one big, constantly evolving product that consists of a lot of moving parts, and although this approach is not ideal for end users in the short term, it’s something I accept that is better in the long run. term. Regardless, they have said several times that they intend to stay at Stadia for the long term, and I have to believe that they will repeat it, even though SG&E sees internally declining from the start.
In recent years, media consumption has been at a peak. We all still sit largely in our homes, and Stadia had the chance to really utilize it. Whether you believe they did everything in their power to make the most of that time, closing his own in-house studios seems like a strategic step. One thing is for sure though – it certainly does not look good.
Here’s my opinion: Google has a habit of doing things itself, only to realize that, despite its weight in the market, it should leave a few things to the benefits that have more than a hundred years of experience, and rather on his strength must focus. – partnerships and support. I think an opportunity to mature comes in the form of not being a part of every pie if they do not think they can do it in the long run. The end result is that I do not know if they really believed that they could have developed exclusive titles for the finish line and if they just wanted to play with the idea. If it is the latter, they should keep in mind how it affects their public image and plan future efforts accordingly.
Exclusive titles are often secured for a platform to sell more hardware consoles and bring in new, dedicated players, but if Stadia has no exclusives and you can play all its games on other platforms, you must decide for yourself whether you are loyal to Google for games or its technology. I personally believe that its features in the cloud can be unique enough to see how the game landscape is changed by them – regardless of whether Google creates the games it uses.
However, if it no longer makes its own titles, other developers could lose confidence in Google’s vision and bail. However, I think what is going to happen is that they can approach all prospective developers, assure them of their vision to support them and turn it into a victory.. I can not say enough how much I believe here plays really well with their cards. Maybe I’m wrong, but I do not think I am. All I’m saying is that you should not outdo yourself, or feed the trolls that are already appearing on social media and proclaim in the news that “Stadia is dead!”
Stadia is here to stay, and based on its desire to “help game developers and publishers take advantage of its platform technology and deliver games directly to players,” I wonder if he might be planning to offer his infrastructure outside of Stadia.com as part of the plan. For example, imagine buying a game on Ubisoft or Square Enix’s website and clicking the ‘Play’ button to launch it without leaving the page! The wording here may imply that Google intends to allow publishers and developers to use its technology directly, but we’ll have to wait and see how it plays out. Go and enjoy your Stadia Pro titles for February for the time being!
