Google Stadia on the brink of extinction?

Google’s cloud gaming service Stadia is not doing well and it seems that the platform is being completely rebuilt in order to save what can still be saved. The project was actually planned for several years, but it quickly turned out to be a flop. Roughly a year after Google’s restructuring plans for their Stadia platform were announced, the company changed their plan.

Stadia not as successful as planned

Stadia was already in crisis last year in February, and the project was downsized by putting an end to their Los Angeles and Montreal game studios. The reason behind this was that Stadia’s sales figures were rather disappointing and far below Google’s expectations. It appears that Google wants to focus more on the technical side of their platform now.

Google is apparently trying to save its Stadia streaming service by no longer focusing on video games, but instead striking deals with other companies like Peleton. The name of their new project is Google Stream. In short, the mega-company doesn’t seem to be interested in continuing its own gaming projects anymore.

In addition to the poor numbers, reasons such as the Corona pandemic and the rising costs of game development were also cited. According to Google, “a severe lack of resources, difficulties in acquiring the necessary hardware and software, and a frozen workforce in 2020” were the biggest problems in the development of the project.

Will the project be shut down?

Google Stadia has since publicly commented on the rumors, posting a Twitter thread stating that the Stadia team is “working hard on a great future” for the streaming service. But that’s just the team behind Stadia, mind you – ultimately it’s Google that decides whether to scrap the project or keep it alive. Apparently, developers and employees on the ground are also confused about the state of Stadia. Rumor has it that the developers learned of Stadia’s shaky state at the same time as the public, through an email from Phil Harrison, Stadia’s vice president and general manager.

While it’s unlikely that Google will pull the plug on Stadia anytime soon, it’s becoming increasingly clear that Google’s bet on games hasn’t paid off as the company had hoped. Google has since transformed Stadia into a more commercially focused product, and this should save all the technology and resources that have gone into the service.

Right now, there are reportedly 100 games that are available on the platform in 2021 and 50 games that will be offered to Pro subscribers. It was also vaguely promised that more features will be coming soon, but it wasn’t elaborated on what they are or when they will be added.