Google Shuts Down Stadia – What Went Wrong?

Google Stadia is dead.

It isn’t a strain on the brain to remember the tech giant calling its creation “the future of gaming” only three years ago.

Rumors began to percolate about the imminent demise of the streaming service months ago, though Google had stated that these rumors were false it seems now that it was just biding its time to officially announce this move.

Google had been looking for ways to enter the gaming market for some time, however, the fatal flaw of Stadia may have already been sown upon its release.

On its arrival, Google had no plans to make original content for its service, relying exclusively on games that were available elsewhere. Coupled with this reliance on third-party games, the tech giant did not anticipate the issues that would arise from streaming.

The story is rather analogous to that of Netflix, though it changes a little due to the nature of gaming as opposed to films and TV shows.

Netflix is now dealing with a number of competitors and their lack of captivating original content is dragging the company down.

The several consoles on the market may have been enough to spell doom for  Stadia, but with Xbox Game Pass now accessible on even an iPhone, and PlayStation ramping up with their PlayStation-Plus cloud-gaming services, Stadia was being backed into a corner.

In a blog post, Stadia Vice President Phil Harrison admitted to the service’s setbacks.

The post started by saying, “[Stadia] hasn’t gained the traction with users that we expected” and went on to thank the players who have enjoyed the platform from the start.

Stadia will end service on January 18, 2023, and all purchases will be refunded.