Two years ago, Google opened its game studios with much fanfare as it was opened to the public. Now, Google’s recent decision to close this dedicated game studio in one way could be a failure and in another way an opportunity.
Some see the news as ‘another big tech brand that doesn’t quite get gaming but as we all know, the decision may not have been an easy one. About 150 developers were involved in creating the Google Stadia studio. Now, they need another job.
It also appears that Google may have been using this platform by using exclusives as a way to tie gamers in for several years. However, how much of this do gamers need?
There is Sony, there is Microsoft, Nintendo, and PC games out there. As Google closes its studios, the tech brand can now focus on growing its subscriber base without any more expensive distractions of creating its own triple-A games.
Stadia porting is more expensive and complex if you want the game to make use of Google’s exclusive features like State Share, Crowd Choice, and Screen Connect. Launching a crossplay game on many platforms is a problem that adds costs and complexity, thereby narrowing your potential audience.
Once Google is no longer there to compete with PlayStation, Xbox, and those others, Stadia can concentrate on licensing third-party publishers like Epic, Rockstar, Bungle, and many others, giving them a more compelling reason to make their games playable on cloud services.
The huge mainstream audience of gamers who hunger for new crossplay experiences will indeed benefit because this type of experience will be well-worked and affordable gaming streaming services can provide.
