Google plans to offer its Stadia streaming technology to other companies, including Platoon, Bungie, and Capcom, raising questions about the platform's future. However, Google has since denied these reports.
According to Business Insider, Google has shifted its priorities to focus on selling its "Google Stream" technology to interested parties, rather than bringing more games to the Stadia platform.
Sources told Business Insider that, "Current and former employees said the priority now is term proofing work for Google Stream and securing white-label deals. One felt that about twenty percent of the focus was on the consumer platform.
"There are a lot of people on the inside who would like this to continue, so they are working extremely hard to make sure he doesn't die," sources told Business Insider. “But they are not the ones doing the controls.”
Google has since responded to the report, with Google spokesman Patrick Seybold telling The Verge that the company still plans to offer its Google Stream technology to other companies.
"We announced our intention to help publishers and partners bring games directly to players last year and we've been working on it," Seybold said. “The first manifestation was our partnership with AT&T, which makes Batman: Arkham Knight available to their service customers for free.
“While we don't discuss any rumors or speculation regarding other industry partners, we are still focused on bringing great games to Stadia in XNUMX. With over two hundred titles currently free, we plan to add over a hundred games to the platform this year. , and we currently have fifty games to sue on Stadia Pro.”
The official Google Stadia Twitter account also moved to respond to the reports, saying the team is "hard at work on a great future for Stadia and cloud gaming."
If you hear one thing, listen to this: The Stadia team is hard at work on a huge future for Stadia and cloud gaming. We hope you agree and we know the proof is in the game. February 2022, XNUMX
Read more
Analysis: Is Google Stadia on life support?
It's clear that Google's bet on Stadia didn't pay off after its first bullish revelation, even though the technology is incredible. The company's cloud streaming technology was supposed to deliver a more attainable, high-quality gaming experience across multiple devices, but that hasn't always been the case.
The company's Pro membership streaming option has been criticized for not delivering the 4K resolution it promised, and its business model has been criticized for being too expensive, with subscribers reluctant to purchase new games and pay a monthly fee.
Google also took the decision to close its main proprietary development studio. This means that the platform doesn't offer a strong lineup of exclusive games, and Stadia's library is mostly made up of older titles or free-to-play games on other platforms.
To make matters worse, Stadia also has multiple contenders in the cloud gaming space. Xbox Cloud Gaming, Nvidia GeForce Now, and Amazon Luna have all stepped in to challenge Stadia, and Nvidia in particular offers a considerably more enticing service due to the fact that you pay a subscription to access hundreds and hundreds of games, rather than buying stock. individually.
The sensational sales of PS5, Xbox Series X and Nintendo Switch have proven that cloud gaming is still not enticing enough to distance people from traditional hardware.
Google Stadia is not dead, at least not yet. But it is quite difficult to see how it will break through and achieve the level of mainstream success it was first intended for when it was announced in XNUMX.
Today's best Google Stadia Controller deals
