Google Shut Down Their In-House Gaming Studio — And I’m Here For It
On February 1st, 2021, Phil Harrison — the Vice President and General Manager of Google Stadia — penned an announcement on the Official Google Blog letting the world know that Google Stadia was moving forward with a new strategy by no longer investing in Stadia Games and Entertainment (SG&E) — and I am here for it — the strategy that is.
When this news broke, it was immediately and widely viewed as negative news coming from Google, and tech blogs absolutely seized the opportunity of this announcement to further lean in on hating Google Stadia. Hating on Google Stadia is revered in tech blogs — it is a sickness and something to be really suspicious of. Just look at these examples that provoke two unfounded negative ideas: 1. Google Stadia is shutting down and 2. Google is just not that serious about investing in Google Stadia: TechCrunch, TheVerge. And while the news of anything closing can be understandably and initially viewed as negative news, and it is also true that Google has closed a good number of applications and development efforts over the years, this announcement was actually very positive news. In fact, Google is doubling down on making the Google Stadia platform truly great and is also not shutting down. However, main stream tech blogs do not want you to believe that.
For main stream tech blogs, it is only unfounded doom and despair as far as they are concerned. They are afraid that you might actually love and enjoy Google Stadia. That Google might be successful at cloud gaming. And while no one wants to ‘waste their time’ using a cloud gaming product that might eventually be unsupported —again an unfounded claim pushed by main stream tech blogs — I am here to tell you, and have previously written about, that I am fully and unabashedly enjoying my time playing Google Stadia as a casual gamer. Everyone who has access to Google Stadia should try it out: www.stadia.com on your mobile device, laptop with the Chrome Browser, or smart TV. The future of cloud gaming is here — and building out. Do not let main stream tech bloggers convince you otherwise. Your good time is not their priority or objective.
Beyond provoking premature and unfounded ideas about Google Stadia given Google Stadia has been around just a little more than a year now — which is not enough time to establish a full trend as a successful or unsuccessful stand alone product — the opportunity to refine and enhance the Google Stadia product strategy, and create an even better and more satisfying & competitive gaming platform for gamers, publishers, and developers — is now front and center if it was not perceived that way before. That’s exciting to hear! Think: “It’s a new year, and this year is: the year of me.” So when I read the announcement by Phil Harrison, I immediately thought: “I’m here for it, and this makes total sense.”
Let’s take a step back and understand what Google is NOT and has never been: an exclusive content creator. While it makes sense to make strategic talent acquisitions and a show good faith investment in a Gaming Studio at the launch of a new bold gaming product like Google Stadia, I was not naive to the idea that Google becoming a place that created and launched exclusive gaming content was both ambitious and fully out of character. Sure, it is true that Microsoft recently made an acquisition of the Gaming Studio: Bethesda, and that makes sense as a mature gaming platform and product, but we know that Google Stadia is not a mature gaming platform and product — and it also does not rule out that Google Stadia in the future could be at a point where it would make similar announcements. It is not a missed opportunity to be more competitive at the moment.
So what is Google Stadia right now without a fully owned gaming studio? It is a new and bold idea on what a Cloud Gaming platform is and has the potential to be. It is also just a really fun gaming platform experience to pick up and play casually for a couple hours, or make longer time commitments on AAA games such as Final Fantasy XV. As a Google Stadia Pro Member, I now have over 60+ games in my library that I am able to extend to my family and friends who are part of my Google Family. I have saved so much money for myself and my Google Family, and am endlessly entertained with new and free games coming to Google Stadia Pro Members each month.
I started off this article by mentioning: ~“Google made an announcement about no longer investing in Stadia Games and Entertainment (SG&E) — and I am here for it”, but what exactly am I ‘here for’? Well, here is a list of what I feel are potential renewed focus areas and new items next to come for Google Stadia based on the announcement released by Phil Harrison:
- Expanding the library of Google Stadia games with new and recent game releases as well as AAA games
- Building out competitive game play across the world and cross-platform competition play on Google Stadia
- Enhancing the experience of developing games on Google Stadia in order to make it easier and more seamless for developers and publishers
- Further integrating and expanding third-party gaming subscriptions such as Ubisoft+
- Launching Google Stadia in more countries
- Updating the Google Stadia platform website and mobile app interfaces with Search & Google Assistant Capability
- Building out a more enhanced gamer to gamer chat & video messaging experience
- Bringing exclusive games to Google Stadia by way of third-party partnerships
- Maybe a handheld Google Stadia gaming device?
- Further integration between YouTube and Google Stadia
- A renewed focus on building out a library of nostalgic games within the overall Google Stadia library of games
- Making more games publicly available & free to play online for everyone without a Google Stadia Pro Membership like Google Stadia did with the game: Super Bomberman R Online
- Furthering development on disability inclusion and accessibility and other inclusion, diversity, and equity efforts on the Google Stadia platform
- Of course without question — furthering privacy and security measures on the Google Stadia platform
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