Google to Shut Down Stadia Video Game Streaming Service

Streaming, Alphabet Inc.’s Google had tried to take on the video game console giants with Stadia, a video game streaming service that was supposed to compete with PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo. Its bespoke hardware meant that Stadia could compete with these companies. However, replicating the experience of PlayStation and Xbox is not as simple as it may seem. Microsoft and Sony have signed lucrative deals with major game publishers and even Netflix recently announced plans to launch a gaming studio.

Stadia was an attempt by Alphabet Inc.’s Google to take on the video game console giants

While Stadia has many positive attributes, there are also some drawbacks. For one thing, the service is online-only, so you can’t play it when the Internet is down. Also, you can’t customize the games you play to optimize them for performance or accessibility. This means you’ll be giving up control over your gaming experience, which could be an issue for many consumers. The service also has potential cost and latency issues.

One of the biggest problems with Stadia is the amount of bandwidth used by a single stream. Streaming a 1080p 60-fps video game is estimated to use about 25 megabytes. But a 4K or 8K stream will use at least 50 megabytes.

It struggled to find an audience

Google’s Stadia video game streaming service struggled to gain an audience. The company invested heavily in the service, hoping to attract new audiences that weren’t console owners. While the service had a free tier, there were some limitations, including a limited selection of games. The service also had a paid subscription tier, with access to more games for a fee.

Google’s chief executive, Sundar Pichai, has announced a sweeping reorganization of the company and has started a “Simplicity Sprint” to cut expenses and streamline business processes. The company has also cut funding for Area 120 and canceled unnecessary business travel. Stadia’s launch lineup includes such games as Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Mortal Kombat, Just Dance 2020, and Destiny 2. Many of these games are already available on other platforms. While Stadia’s launch lineup has been strong, it is still difficult to predict whether it will have the same kind of audience as other services.

The new Stadia video game streaming service has a lot of work ahead of it. The team worked hard to woo major publishers and shelled out millions of dollars to bring games to Stadia. They also hired a veteran executive Jade Raymond, who worked on Assassin’s Creed for Ubisoft, and built a division to develop the games themselves.

The internet search giant, which launched the streaming games service in November 2019, announced that Google Stadia will be winding down over the next few months. Players will continue to have access to their games library and be able to play through Jan. 18, 2023. Google said it will refund all Stadia hardware purchases made through the Google Store, as well as all game and add-on content purchases made through the Stadia store.

While Stadia’s approach to streaming games “was built on a strong technology foundation, it hasn’t gained the traction with users that we expected so we’ve made the difficult decision to begin winding down our Stadia streaming service,” Phil Harrison, VP and GM of Stadia, wrote in a blog post Thursday about the decision.

“While Stadia’s approach to streaming games for consumers was built on a strong technology foundation, it hasn’t gained the traction with users that we expected,” wrote Phil Harrison, VP and general manager at Google working on Stadia. “We’ve made the difficult decision to begin winding down our Stadia streaming service.”