In a move that is sure to raise plenty of eyebrows, and worry Stadia supporters, Google has announced they're shutting down SG&E (Stadia Games & Entertainment) and no longer doing first-party games.
They make it clear in the announcement that Stadia as a platform isn't going away, and they believe game streaming is "the future of this industry" and so they will "continue to invest in Stadia and its underlying platform to provide the best cloud gaming experience for our partners and the gaming community". It gets more interesting though, as Google said they will be expanding to "help game developers and publishers take advantage of our platform technology and deliver games directly to their players" and they will be working with partners who want a streaming solution.
Google clearly mention how costly it is to create big AAA games, and as Amazon have seen it doesn't always work out and burns a lot of money. Instead, the focus will be to "focus on building on the proven technology of Stadia as well as deepening our business partnerships" and on that note they mentioned that Jade Raymond has left Google now too.
Sounds like Google are going to be licensing the tech and hardware behind Stadia, while continuing to build up Stadia as a store itself. It makes a lot more sense, as big costly exclusives from Stadia for Stadia won't have enough of a pull to pay-off, whereas pulling in more and more 3rd party popular games will and would cost Google less to do. So, it is the smart move overall. The Stadia tech is good too, and it clearly works so they're doing what they do best in this way.
The thing is, it's another nail in the coffin of the idea Google sold it all on originally. The talk about these huge games that could only work in the cloud, which you're not likely to see from a 3rd party developer since their games will need to run on PC and consoles too most of the time.
So don't expect any Google / Stadia first-party titles after this year, if any of them come out at all. To be clear though, Google note they are "committed to the future of cloud gaming, and will continue to do our part to drive this industry forward" and that the Stadia store will continue bringing in more titles. Still, it won't stop people mentioning the Google Graveyard.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
apocalyptech Feb 1, 2021
Mohandevir Feb 2, 2021
Personally, I would like to see some form of partnership with Steam to add select games to the Stadia catalogue... Some kind of two way deal, for older Linux native titles or those that runs fine with Proton, available with the pro subscription, maybe?
It's just a wish, probably not a realistic one, I convey.
Last edited by Mohandevir on 2 February 2021 at 12:21 am UTC
I want more Gaming on Linux, but Stadia isn't it, for me, and MS is way more entrenched, with the better deal, unfortunately.
dziadulewicz Feb 2, 2021
Quoting: sarmadRIP, Stadia.
and f*ck you Goolag altogether!
TheRiddick Feb 2, 2021
It's just not very attractive, at least things like NVIDIA's and Shadow streaming services they let you use other stores if you want and have some bonuses sprinkled in, plus titles you buy are not restricted to just cloud gaming and are not simply rented.
Unless there is massive change in how they do their business model, and also have more local server access points, Stadia is going to have a rough time.
In saying that I'd love to see a open-sourced Stadia development model where anyone can try out their Linux based render tech. That might help dev interests allot..
But atm Google are like 'all your base belong to us', oh and please give us money.... yeah, nope.
Quoting: GuestYou can still pay for and play games without the monthly fee, and sometimes there are even sales.
None of which is cross-platform, none of which is advertised very well anywhere but on Stadia. Lots of strings attached to that whole package, UNLIKE other steaming platform options!
I challenge people to actually TRY the other options... There are many,.
Last edited by TheRiddick on 2 February 2021 at 3:05 am UTC
QuoteIn a move that is sure to raise plenty of eyebrows
Did you actually write that with a straight face? Stadia is insanity from the beginning, if it weren’t for our Linux bias we’d all be hooting and dragging it and Google through the mud all along, like everyone else has been doing.
RandomizedKirbyTree47 Feb 2, 2021
Quoting: TheRiddickIt's the whole business model that is the problem. They are offering people a opportunity to RENT games at retail prices, plus a monthly subscription on top..
No, they aren't. They're giving you the choice between "renting" games for a one time fee (the same way Steam and any other DRM store does), or pay a subscription to get games included with your subscription. They aren't asking you to pay a subscription and pay for the individual price of games. This isn't like Disney+ Premier Access (where to watch certain movies you have to subscribe and pay an extra fee on top). Why the heck do people make this demonstrably false claim every time Stadia comes up?
Quoting: pbProbably they realised that exclusives will never pull as many people as hit games from other studios. Like Cyberpunk 2077.
Nintendo?
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