Despite everywhere you look there's always someone pointing to the Google Graveyard, the game streaming service Stadia is still soldiering on in the face of overwhelming competition.
In a new interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Stadia's developer marketing lead Nate Ahearn says the service is actually "alive and well" and went on to mention how they have over 100 new titles launching for Stadia through 2021. They're also continuing to grow their Stadia Makers program where they help Unity developers port to Stadia (with another 20 coming from that) along with continuing partnerships with many AAA studios like Capcom, EA, Square Enix, Ubisoft and others.
A while ago Google shut down the Stadia Games & Entertainment studio, which seemed like a bad sign. Following that, they lost key developers like Jade Raymond, John Justice and a bunch of other staff members recently who all joined Raymond's new Haven Studio. Were those all signs of a service in trouble? Not quite, it's pretty much just the tail-end of SG&E closing. Still, no big first-party exclusive games to pull people in isn't doing the service any favours.
Stadia, much like Linux desktop gaming, faces a huge uphill battle to actually win people over. The tech is there, it just needs a lot more games and people to actually use it. For Stadia especially, they have to fight off the upcoming Amazon Luna along with Xbox Cloud Gaming - both of which will give a much more Netflix-like subscription model rather than buying individual games. Then there's GeForce NOW giving access to existing libraries - how will Stadia continue to progress? That remains to be seen.
In other news, Stadia recently finally got a search bar and more UI changes planned.
Play Stadia on Linux on Stadia.com with a Chromium browser.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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for me they've shot themselves in the foot by the model they've chosen. Having to buy something you actually rent is an awful idea. If it was like Netflix, but for games that would make much more sense (or other way around - if you'd get a key you could use elsewhere, for non-remote gaming). The tech is actually pretty cool, it is being pulled down by the terrible sales model.
So even though I'm excited seeing the tech I actually hope they won't succeed as I really don't want this sales model to take root.
So even though I'm excited seeing the tech I actually hope they won't succeed as I really don't want this sales model to take root.
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hardpenguin May 14, 2021
I am afraid this is kind of "there is no war in Ba Sing Se" reassurance... But the time will tell...
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There is no way that busines model is going to beat a steam library / nvidia now combination.
Stadia could in theory carve itself a niche with games that exploit fully its cloud nature and the unique possibilities it offers. Kind of like Nintendo. But since they shut down their game studio I think they killed the only interesting thing they had to offer.
Stadia could in theory carve itself a niche with games that exploit fully its cloud nature and the unique possibilities it offers. Kind of like Nintendo. But since they shut down their game studio I think they killed the only interesting thing they had to offer.
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Perkeleen_Vittupää May 14, 2021
"Google says" ... 
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I am afraid this is kind of "there is no war in Ba Sing Se" reassurance... But the time will tell...
Reminds me of an (in)famous German phrase...
In 1961, the Whatevertheycalledhim of the GDR, Walter Ulbricht, said: "Niemand hat die Absicht, eine Mauer zu errichten!" ("Nobody plans to build a wall!") Time did tell. ;)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLhYIqiJlEA
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Forgive me, but that sounds about as credible as Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf.
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sgtnasty369 May 14, 2021
They have lost a lot of credibility, and need to prove themselves. I believe Stadia or GFN game streaming services are the future, and eventually will win over.
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They have a deal with Ubisoft allowing ganers to play some of the titles if you have a Ubisoft+ subscription. If they're to survive, I think they'll need to make other deals for EA Play and others.
The big hurdle, of course, is the time and money it takes to port games to Stadia, and then there's the danger of losing any game you've bought if Stadia goes under.
Last edited by melkemind on 14 May 2021 at 12:52 pm UTC
The big hurdle, of course, is the time and money it takes to port games to Stadia, and then there's the danger of losing any game you've bought if Stadia goes under.
Last edited by melkemind on 14 May 2021 at 12:52 pm UTC
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Mohandevir May 14, 2021
Having to buy something you actually rent is an awful idea.
I don't know why this false perception persists? You rent a PS Plus like game catalogue. I'm a Stadia user, you don' need the subscription to use Stadia or to buy games. I don't know why people keep saying this, it's just plain wrong.
It's a console, in the cloud. Think of it as a PS5 digital edition, but no hardware. Exactly the same economic model. It's a tried and tested model. Nothing new.
Where the debate may be open, it's on the subject of Google's integrity and reliabilty... This I won't argue, your gripes are legitimate. I have the same doubts, but they have a pretty neat piece of tech, with a lot of potential, imo.
Last edited by Mohandevir on 14 May 2021 at 1:31 pm UTC
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Google says Stadia is very much 'alive and well' according to a new interview
I think we can all agree that Google is a pillar of integrity and candor, and --- as in any company --- the honesty of someone in marketing is beyond question.
Last edited by Nanobang on 14 May 2021 at 1:21 pm UTC
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I like how there's one or two comments on a "normal" stadia article on here and yet as soon as a speculative piece is put out all of these commenters come out of the woodwork to prove their confirmation bias.
Hell, Ubisoft's Rainbox Six Siege and For Honor were recently confirmed. Those are two huge pickups for the platform.
Last edited by drlamb on 14 May 2021 at 3:28 pm UTC
Hell, Ubisoft's Rainbox Six Siege and For Honor were recently confirmed. Those are two huge pickups for the platform.
Last edited by drlamb on 14 May 2021 at 3:28 pm UTC
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Hell, Ubisoft's Rainbox Six Siege and For Honor were recently confirmed. Those are two huge pickups for the platform.
Well, I don't know if Stadia will succeed, I do think it might need exclusives to do so, but what I'm sure about...
Two games five to six years old will not bring huge excitement to anyone using Windows or an at least semi-current console.
(... and yes, I think I should quote "confirmation bias" from a user using Stadia's logo as avatar.)
Last edited by Eike on 14 May 2021 at 3:54 pm UTC
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What I like about Stadia right now as a gaming platform is, well, its users.
I think that by now is crystal clear that the "classic" gamer doesn't like Stadia. Is just too different from what he knows and what he values, to wrap his mind around it.
People that do use Stadia have a different mindset, many were never interested in games or rather investing in gaming hardware, while some are former gamers that had to stop because you know, life.
While much maligned, this no-hardware Stadia model gives these people the chance to get (back) into gaming. The entry price is low and if it doesn't work, well, there's not much to loose.
As a result, the people that I usually meet on Stadia are mostly in their 30s or more, and they are much more relaxed, friendly and funny. Having played Destiny on both PC and Stadia I can say that the difference is immense. On PC there's this fierce competition and testosterone overflowing, while on Stadia folks just want to have some fun, sometimes stopping in the middle of a strike just to chat or crack jokes.
Of course, if Stadia gets popular all this will go away, but for the time being is a sweet place to be.
I think that by now is crystal clear that the "classic" gamer doesn't like Stadia. Is just too different from what he knows and what he values, to wrap his mind around it.
People that do use Stadia have a different mindset, many were never interested in games or rather investing in gaming hardware, while some are former gamers that had to stop because you know, life.
While much maligned, this no-hardware Stadia model gives these people the chance to get (back) into gaming. The entry price is low and if it doesn't work, well, there's not much to loose.
As a result, the people that I usually meet on Stadia are mostly in their 30s or more, and they are much more relaxed, friendly and funny. Having played Destiny on both PC and Stadia I can say that the difference is immense. On PC there's this fierce competition and testosterone overflowing, while on Stadia folks just want to have some fun, sometimes stopping in the middle of a strike just to chat or crack jokes.
Of course, if Stadia gets popular all this will go away, but for the time being is a sweet place to be.
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Sure, I walked into that one. However, my justifications for my use of Stadia are well documented in my comment history. I do still prefer gaming locally when I can. Metro Exodus is night and day native locally but it sure took its sweet time to release.
To you maybe not, but they're still two major games in a genre Stadia is really lacking in (competitive multiplayer). (And two more games to the list of games google has influenced/help port to Linux. How many does Valve have now? Still waiting on that SteamOS port of TW3 from when I was still in high school)
Last edited by drlamb on 14 May 2021 at 4:12 pm UTC
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However, my justifications for my use of Stadia are well documented in my comment history. I do still prefer gaming locally when I can.
You don't need one! Play where you want, what you want! I didn't calculate it through, but I guess playing only Stadia would be cheaper over time when you don't need a gaming capable PC. Or it gives you the chance to play games you cannot play on your PC (e.g. due to using Linux). It's not me to judge. (And when I look at the posts at this article, I don't saw the other ones judging Stadia users either. You may find exceptions, but in general not.)
To you maybe not, but they're still two major games in a genre Stadia is really lacking in (competitive multiplayer). (And two more games to the list of game's google has influenced/help port to Linux. How many does Valve have now? Still waiting on that SteamOS port of TW3 from when I was still in high school)
I believe you it's an major thing for many Stadia users, but seen from the outside, it's not the incentive Stadia needs to attract many players.
Last edited by Eike on 14 May 2021 at 4:07 pm UTC
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I believe you it's an major thing for many Stadia users, but seen from the outside, it's not the incentive Stadia needs to attract many players.
I will agree with you there. This serves only as library-padding to those users that would otherwise dismiss Stadia due to its library size.
It's going to take a while to break this cycle:
P1: "Stadia has no games!"
P2: "[GAME NAMES HERE] are coming to Stadia."
P1: "THOSE GAMES SUCK/ARE BORING/ARE INDIES/ARE OLD/TOO EXPENSIVE/ETC."
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It's going to take a while to break this cycle:
Some years ago ... I was so young and optimistic... ;) I was pondering about reasons why Windows gamers should change to Linux. I didn't find anything convincing, besides Linux might be better for many things besides gaming. But I didn't find an argument against dual booting. It might be similar for Stadia: It gets cooler for Stadia users, but when people already got their gaming hardware, I'm not sure why they should change over.
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Mohandevir May 14, 2021
It's going to take a while to break this cycle:
Some years ago ... I was so young and optimistic... ;) I was pondering about reasons why Windows gamers should change to Linux. I didn't find anything convincing, besides Linux might be better for many things besides gaming. But I didn't find an argument against dual booting. It might be similar for Stadia: It gets cooler for Stadia users, but when people already got their gaming hardware, I'm not sure why they should change over.
I think it's been mentionned that Stadia is tragetting Android users that don't have a computer. It might be targetting Xbox and PS users mainly. I have obvious examples of that in my surroundings... Guys that find PC gaming too expensive, that got Stadia with the Cyberpunk deal... I didn't do any advertising since I'm a cautious Stadia user, myself. From what I understand, they are quite satisfied.
Edit: As for Windows vs Linux... I find it way easier to manage tearing and stuttering on Linux. It's even better with Steamos-compositor and Steamos-compositor-Plus. But that's probably not an incentive, for the majority.
Edit 2: I'm curious to know the sales figures for the latest Resident Evil deal (with controller)... Google put it online advertised from march 22 through may 21, but it was sold out as of may 6... Was it just a marketing strategy?
Last edited by Mohandevir on 14 May 2021 at 5:22 pm UTC
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