Google has announced that its Stadia gaming platform will be closed down next year.
In a new blog post, the company stated that they are “grateful to the dedicated Stadia players that have been with us from the start” but that the uptake for the service hadn’t matched expectations so the decision has been made to wind down the service completely
Those who have purchased hardware or games from Google and Stadia will see their purchases refunded, with Google hoping to have all refunds completed by mid-January 2023. Players will be able to access their game library and play on Stadia until January 18, 2023, after which the service will be shut down.
Google first launched Stadia in November 2019, having previously been known as Project Stream. The platform was designed to be used across multiple platforms and devices via cloud streaming and a dedicated app. However, there was soon criticism of the service due to the lack of available content and that some promised features never materialised.
As for the Stadia technology, the company’s statement stated that it would be used in other parts of Google, with plans to add it to YouTube and AR projects already in the works. The technology will also be available for other companies to use, as has been shown with US telecommunications company AT&T already using the technology to allow their customers to play Batman: Arkham Knight for free.
Words by Megan Roxburgh
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