Google Stadia isn’t dead yet, but it doesn’t have long to live. Only about three years after Google introduced its new cloud gaming service, the company decided to permanently shut down Stadia. If you buy Stadia games, you’ll have a few months to finish them before they’re gone offline forever. However, there is a bit of good news: if you buy Stadia hardware or software directly through Google, you can get a full refund.
Phil Harrison, General Manager of Stadia, announced the platform’s demise today Word (Opens in a new tab)Google’s official blog. In a short, straightforward post, Harrison discussed why Google saw fit to shut down the service, and how long Stadia players would have to wrap things up:
“Although Stadia’s approach to consumer game streaming was built on a strong technical foundation, it didn’t gain as much traction with users as we had expected, so we made the difficult decision to start winding down our Stadia streaming service,” Harrison said.
“We will refund all Stadia device purchases made through the Google Store, and all purchases of game content and add-ons made through the Stadia Store. Players will continue to access and play their game library until January 18, 2023 so they can complete their final gameplay sessions. We expect that Most refunds are completed by mid-January 2023.”
Google has also compiled a file FAQ about turning off Stadia (Opens in a new tab) For gamers who want to know more about the redemption process, and how well their games are going until January.
While Stadia owns Its share of raucous fans (Opens in a new tab)The service was a mixed bag from the start. In our Stadia review from 2019, I wrote:
“When all cylinders are shot, Stadia works well. But when it’s not, it presents a whole host of issues that traditional gaming systems simply don’t have… It occurred to me while playing that Stadia is the seed of a great idea, but I insist that games should be fully streamed, time seems a bit limited.”
In fact, modern cloud gaming services, such as Xbox Game Pass and Nvidia GeForce Now, allow for downloadable and streaming options. Stadia has never taken similar steps, which put it at a disadvantage in front of its closest competitors.
Early last year, I wrote an opinion piece called “Google Stadia Will Never Work,” where I outlined the various issues plaguing the service. These problems seem to have finally been resolved with Stadia, which will now join a long list of projects Google killed him (Opens in a new tab).
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