Google’s cloud gaming platform is currently available across 22 countries, including the UK and US, in its paid and free forms. However, the software giant has recently announced that it will be shutting down the service from 19 January 2022.
It will refund all hardware and game purchases (including in-game DLC) purchased on the Google Store, with the majority of refunds being made by mid-January.
These are sad days for Stadia players. Here we explain more about the imminent closure of the “Netflix of games“.
How Google Stadia worked
Google Stadia was devised as a cloud gaming service whereby games can be purchased and played, but don’t have to be downloaded to a console or PC.
Through multiple connected devices, including phones, laptops and TVs, it gave you the ability to play the game in real time, but the processing on a remote Stadia server somewhere else in the world. The video of the gameplay was transmitted to your device over the internet, while the control codes from a game controller were sent in the other direction.
And, as its servers were placed in a vast number of locations around the globe, it shortened the distance between player and a server to stream from. That dramatically reduced the enemy of streaming – latency.
In addition, Google provided a dedicated Stadia controller that connected to the internet directly via Wi-Fi, rather than your device (when you are playing at home, at least). It sent controller codes without having to submit them to a phone, tablet or other connected device first. The method cut down on milliseconds of latency and, in gaming, that really matters.
It worked well and wasn’t why Stadia failed.
So what went wrong? Stadia’s failings
Google essentiially gave up on Stadia as a consumer cloud gaming service because it lacked the, ahem, consumers. It never found a user base large enough to help it compete against more traditional forms of gaming. Plus, during its two-year lifespan, Microsoft pushed ever more heavily into the market with Xbox Cloud Gaming, while other alternatives, such as Nvidia GeForce Now, catered more for the PC gaming market.
As Stadia’s general manager, Phil Harrison, posted on a Google blog, it just didn’t gain enough traction: “A few years ago, we… launched a consumer gaming service, Stadia. And 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 so we’ve made the difficult decision to begin winding down our Stadia streaming service,” he wrote.
What next? The Stadia timeline and refunds
Google has already closed off the ability to subscribe to Stadia Pro or purchase games from the digital store. However, you can still play all of the games in your library up to and including 18 January 2023.
After that time, you will no longer have access to your Stadia account. You will get refunds though, on every hardware or game purchase made through the Google Store (so on the Stadia platform too). That includes DLC and in-game purchases.
You will not be refunded previous Stadia Pro subscription fees. The majority of refunds will have been processed by mid-January.
As for the Stadia technology, Google plans to use it in other ways – some third-party publishers have already licensed it to run their own cloud activities, for example: “The underlying technology platform that powers Stadia has been proven at scale and transcends gaming,” added Harrison.
“We see clear opportunities to apply this technology across other parts of Google like YouTube, Google Play, and our Augmented Reality (AR) efforts – as well as make it available to our industry partners, which aligns with where we see the future of gaming headed.”
Alternatives to Google Stadia
There are several cloud gaming platforms out there, with many available across multiple platforms – mobile, PC and Smart TV. Two stand out the most, though.
Xbox Cloud Gaming
Available as part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Xbox Cloud Gaming offers 100s of Xbox Series X and Xbox One games to play on multiple devices. This includes Xbox consoles (naturally), PC, mobile and Smart TVs – namely the most recent Samsung TVs that feature the Samsung Gaming Hub.
Find out more: Xbox Cloud Gaming: Price, platforms and everything you need to know.
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Nvidia GeForce Now
Nvidia’s cloud gaming platform is a little different to Microsoft’s in that it offers cloud access to PC games you have bought on other digital stores, such as Steam and Epic Games Store. GeForce Now is also available on the Samsung Gaming Hub on Smart TVs, plus mobile and Android TV boxes. It works particularly well on Nvidia’s own Shield TV devices, for example.
Find out more: What is Nvidia GeForce Now, is it free and what devices does it work with?
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