End of Stadia exposes big tech dilemmas in the games market

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Considered one of the symbols of big tech’s entry into the gaming market, Google’s Stadia cloud gaming service will cease to exist on January 18, 2023. Silicon was made on the 29th by Phil Harrison, vice president and general manager of Stadia.

“While Stadia’s approach to game streaming has been built on a strong technological foundation, it hasn’t gained the traction with users we had hoped for,” said the executive, giving a taste of the complexity of the current gaming market landscape.

In theory, there’s no way Stadia could go wrong. Cloud gaming services are considered the future of games, with the ability to make consoles obsolete, make access to games cheaper and further expand the consumer market. In addition, Google would not only have the technical and infrastructure capacity to develop the product, but also the investment to sustain it in the long term.

The announcement of the project, in March 2019, shook the game industry. Although some analysts had already identified problems with the service, such as the absence of major launches, Sony and Microsoft decided to move to not lose their leadership in the sector and formalized a rare partnership to develop game streaming technologies.

Despite the efforts of competitors, Stadia managed to remain a pioneer, but ended up paying a high price for it. Its launch in 14 countries – not including Brazil – in November 2019 was accompanied by a lot of criticism, minor in relation to technical problems (although they exist), but mainly for the poor catalog of 22 games available – all paid, in addition to being charged. a monthly subscription to the service.

Not coincidentally, when Microsoft announced in July 2020 that it would include for Xbox Game Pass subscribers (its game subscription service) the ability to play streaming games starting in September, it highlighted that more than a hundred titles would be available at no cost. extra.

In the meantime, Google has sought to extend its head start in two ways:

However, as time passed, the company showed signs that it was not willing to wait for results. In February 2021, less than two years after the service was announced, Phil Harrison stated that the company would no longer invest in the development of exclusive games and closed the Stadia studios.

The announcement led to speculation about the demise of the platform, which Google denied, noting that it predicted the launch of another 100 new games on the service that year.

“I would tell unbelievers to watch as we continue to turn our words into reality as we […] We partner with top studios like Capcom, EA, Square Enix, Ubisoft, and more,” developer marketing head Nate Ahearn told GameIndustry.biz in May 2021.

In February of this year, another sign that Stadia’s days were numbered. A report on the Business Insider website stated that Google has started offering the platform’s technology to partners under the “Google Stream” brand, deprioritizing Stadia. In addition, according to the text, a number of professionals who worked for the platform were being relocated to other areas of the company.

Even after all the signs, the announcement of the end of the platform took users and especially developers by surprise. Although consumers have received guarantees from Google that they will be refunded for their purchases on the platform, studios that had launches scheduled for the platform still don’t know what future their games will have.

It’s hard to pinpoint a single reason for Stadia’s failure. The history of the platform, however, shows that it is not only with technology that you can develop a successful project in the games industry. Relegating content to the background can be fatal for any investment in this sector.

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game tip, new or old, for you to test

Return to Monkey Island

(PC and Switch)

Thirteen years after the release of “Tales of Monkey Island”, we have a new title from what is one of the most beloved adventure game franchises in the world. With the script and direction of Ron Gilbert, series creator, “Return to Monkey Island” is a gift to longtime fans of the franchise and a good starting point for a new generation to enjoy the adventures of the pirate Guybrush Threepwood. The game maintains the series’ characteristic humor, with several references to previous titles, while renewing the already well-dated gameplay of the “point-and-click adventures” of the past. It is an instant classic that deserves to be tried by everyone.

update

news, launches, business and what else matters

• Blizzard said that “Overwatch 2” servers have been the target of at least two denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks in recent days, which would explain the difficulty faced by users to play the title. The free multiplayer FPS was released on the 4th and has been receiving a lot of criticism for connection problems.

• CADE (Administrative Council for Economic Defense) approved, without restrictions, the purchase of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft. The deal is still under review by regulatory bodies in the United States and Europe.

• “Skull and Bones”, one of Ubisoft’s main releases for this year, has been delayed again and should only reach consumers in March 2023. The title, originally scheduled for 2017, went through several revamps and delays and was due for release. for November this year.

• In yet another investment in the world of games, Netflix announced that it will open its own studio in Helsinki, Finland. The studio will be led by Marko Lastikka, who was formerly general manager of EA and vice president of Zynga.

• CD Projekt Red has announced a number of new projects. Among the games announced are a new trilogy of the franchise “The Witcher”, already suggested a few months ago, a sequel to “Cyberpunk 2077” and a game of a new franchise, unrelated to previous releases by the studio.

• In the business area, the Polish company announced the opening of a new studio in Boston, USA, and that its co-founder and co-CEO, Marcin Iwiński, will leave the command of the company at the end of the year to apply for the position of president of the advice.

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games that will be released in the next few days and promotions that are worth it

11.out

“Asterigos: Curse of the Stars”: BRL 119 (PC), BRL 187.90 (PS 4/5)

“Eville”*: price not available (PC, Xbox One/X/S)

“In Sound Mind”: BRL 187.90 (Switch)

“No More Heroes 3”: price not available (PC, Xbox One/X/S, PS 4/5)

12.out

“Lego Bricktales”: price not available (PC, Switch, Xbox One, PS 4)

13.out

“Fueled Up”: price not available (PC, Xbox One/X/S, PS 4/5)

“The Last Oricru”: price not available (PC, Xbox X/S, PS 5)

October 14

“Dragon Ball: The Breakers”: BRL 86.90 (PC), BRL 99.50 (Switch, Xbox One/X/S, PS 4/5)

“NHL 23”: BRL 299 (Xbox One, PS 4), BRL 339 (Xbox X/S, PS 5)

“Nickelodeon Kart Racers 3: Slime Speedway”: BRL 166.45 (Xbox One/X/S), BRL 224.99 (Switch), price not available (PC, PS 4/5)

“PGA Tour 2K23”: BRL 299.90 (PC, Xbox One, PS 4), BRL 349.90 (Xbox X/S, PS 5)

“Scorn”*: BRL 68.39 (PC), BRL 75.99 (Xbox One/X/S)

*Available on Xbox Game Pass

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