When Google Stadia was first revealed in November 2019, the gaming industry seemingly wasn’t ready. They promised that gamers would be able to stream games using a Chrome browser, Chromecast, and mobile apps.
It was touted as a competitor to streaming services like PlayStation Cloud, GeForce Now, and Xbox Cloud Gaming. However, it was announced that Stadia would be shutting down a little over three years after it launched.
In this article, we’ll discuss some of the reasons why Stadia failed.
A Rocky Start
When Stadia was first revealed, people were extremely excited about what it was going to bring to the table. With YouTube under Google’s belt, the success of Stadia was guaranteed. They said that games could be played on almost every internet connection.
However, when Stadia was released, users with even the fastest internet experienced dropped frames, lag, and game crashes.
Not only that, Google suggested that users would be able to integrate and play games from various streaming platforms, but the promise wasn’t fulfilled, leaving a sour taste in players’ mouths.
Lack of technical features aside, the platform also lacked features like family-sharing options and achievements. These basic features are already available on other gaming services like PlayStation, Xbox, and Steam.
Where Are the Games?
This was one question that Stadia gamers kept asking. Google made the controversial decision to pay the developers according to the hours spent by players playing games. This was met with extreme opposition from game publishers and developers, many of whom refused to develop games for Stadia.
Not just that, the games available on Stadia were already available on other platforms before launch. So, Stadia didn’t have a single game that was going to be a consoler-seller.
Google tried to fix this problem by creating its game development studios in Los Angeles and Montreal under the Stadia Games and Entertainment company. They are dedicated to creating games only for the Stadia platform.
However, it was soon shut down citing lengthy development times and high costs associated with AAA game development.
Other consoles have standalone titles like God of War, Bloodborne, The Last of Us, The Legend of Zelda, and Bloodborne. Stadia had titles like PixelJunk Raiders, Hello Engineer, Pac-Man Mega Tunnel Battle, Outcasters, and Gylt.
One of the biggest downfalls of Stadia was its lack of games. If Stadia was the only service that had Grand Theft Auto 6 then it would be the best-selling gaming service.
Xbox and Nvidia Come to Play
The idea introduced by Stadia made waves in the games industry. The idea was revolutionary, and the industry embraced it as soon as it was revealed. However, others were quick to take inspiration. Microsoft added game-streaming to Xbox Game Pass less than a year after Stadia’s launch.
Instead of needing to download games, players could just stream the games to their tablets and Android devices. Microsoft also added cross-save functionality to the service, allowing users to use the same save file regardless of their platform. Later on, Microsoft also added support for iPhones, iPads, Xbox consoles, and Web browsers.
At the same time, Nvidia launched GeForce Now which allowed users to play their PC games anywhere.
Both of these services became popular very quickly. The main reason for this was that they allowed users to play their existing games. This means that you can just subscribe to the service and play the games anywhere, as long as they have a stable internet connection.
As we all know, having a stable internet connection is extremely important for any streaming. If you’re looking for an internet plan that allows you to play games smoothly, feel free to contact Xfinity customer service.
Why So Expensive?
When Stadia was first announced, many were under the assumption that Google’s new streaming platform was going to be like the Netflix of games. Gamers are expected to pay a monthly subscription to be able to stream games to the platform of their choice.
However, that wasn’t the case. Players would only get one game title per month. These free games were old or indie games.
This meant you would have to pay for the AAA games you wanted to play on top of the subscription price. Not only that, Stadia players had to pay for a Stadia-exclusive console to play Stadia games on their phone or tablet.
After this, most people just didn’t see the reason for spending so much money on Stadia.
Wrapping Up
Google Stadia was a promising, revolutionary game streaming service. However, it was dead on arrival because of many factors. It was much more costly than other services, the games offered were of poor quality, and it had technical problems at launch.
Stadia wasn’t the first game streaming and it certainly isn’t the last. However, it has served as a building block for other developers to improve upon in the future.