The ability to play games wherever you want - this should be an attractive proposition, in theory. Google Stadia offers the ability to stream games without needing to be tethered to a console, or needing to pay for one. As long as you have an internet connection and a computer or smartphone you can game whenever, wherever you want. The games aren’t limited to just smaller indie titles, either, or mobile games, but some of the biggest triple-A titles. Yet this offering has not proven to be so attractive to consumers - for Google’s incarnation of it, at least.

Household titles like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Cyberpunk 2077, and Resident Evil Village are available to Stadia users who buy them on Stadia, while the service has options such as free access and a Pro subscription. Stadia users can play these high budget games on just a Chrome browser, even on a phone. Yet this promise of on-the-go gaming and convenience - meaning you could play console games without needing a console - has not been anywhere close to being a success. And Google is facing stiff competition from rivals such as Amazon and Nvidia.

Google has wanted to get into games for a while. The search engine giant sought to disrupt the games industry. It spent millions on hiring developers and attracting publishers to release their titles on their platform. It assisted them on the tech and tried to develop its own in-house games. It even brought in Jade Raymond, creator of Assassin’s Creed and Watch Dogs, to spearhead the initiative. But the experiment didn’t last very long. Google shuttered its in-house game development department within a couple years with little to show for its efforts.

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The games that were there ran fairly well, but Stadia lacked a killer app. Digital Foundry found the Stadia version of Cyberpunk 2077 was pretty impressive, easily out-performing consoles such as the PS4 or Xbox One. It ran Red Dead Redemption 2 very competently, with users reporting fast loading times, 60fps, and good graphical fidelity (albeit only at 1080p).

Cyberpunk 2077 Dev Is Asking For Your Feedback On Quests
Cyberpunk 2077 Dev Is Asking For Your Feedback On Quests

“To Google’s credit, Stadia is extremely impressive from the technological standpoint,” says George Jijiashvili, a games industry analyst for tech and media consultancy Omdia. “It has also gotten its act together following a poor launch in 2019, when most of its key features were missing.”

These features included the ability to share game saves with other players, as well as State Share, which let users share a video or screenshot in a game and allow others to jump into the game at the precise moment you captured it.

But Google’s real problem was the lack of games available on its platform, with just dozens of titles on offer initially, compared to the hundreds of games available on traditional consoles. TheGamer has conducted its own research to find which subscription service offered the best selection of games in its service. For Stadia, players also weren’t fond of the fact that the streaming subscription offered a limited selected as some games - like the ones mentioned above - require an additional purchase to stream, and which exist only through Stadia.

Harley Quinn in Arkham Knight promo pic

Google appears to have accepted that Stadia is not going to compete with traditional platform holders and is readjusting. In October, Google started to offer its Stadia streaming technology as a white label product, meaning other companies could use the tech without having to operate within the Stadia ecosystem. The first case of this usage came with telecoms company AT&T, which offered its customers the chance to play Batman: Arkham Knight for free.

AT&T customers can stream the game over Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge and play it in 1080p, but don't have to sign-up for Stadia. In a statement to IGN, it was confirmed that the wireless internet provider was using Stadia architecture but was outside the Stadia platform.

With Google making Stadia tech more accessible, it’s clear the company is changing tack. This might be the best way for it to survive, especially as competition is becoming fiercer. The likes of Sony already has its PlayStation Now streaming service, and there is Microsoft’s cloud gaming, which draws players in through the hugely popular Game Pass. But newer entrants such as Amazon’s Luna and Nvidia’s GeForce Now means cloud gaming is becoming a hotly contested market.

“Google is desperate to become a more prominent player in the cloud infrastructure market, as it trails behind Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure,” says Jijiashvili, noting the importance of providing cloud services to the market beyond just videogames. “Google has been up-front with its intention to use gaming as one of the key drivers of its cloud business, but Google is facing fierce competition. Other cloud giants have had the same idea: Amazon, Microsoft, Tencent, and Alibaba have all been making early efforts to establish themselves as the go-to B2B cloud gaming partner.”

GeForce Now

For gaming, it seems Nvidia’s platform could prove a tough competitor. Early reviews of Nvidia’s GeForce Now - which has captured headlines with leaks of the games that are coming to the service - suggest it’s an impressive platform.

With all the competition, and consumers often happy to migrate to whichever platform offers the best bang for their buck, is this the end of Google Stadia? Jijiashvili suggests not.

“I think Stadia isn’t in a real danger of getting sent to the ‘Google cemetery’ any time soon – keeping Stadia up and running serves as an invaluable live proof-of-concept demonstration for Google’s capabilities as a potential cloud partner,” he says.

It seems Google, having spent millions trying to stake a claim in gaming, still sees value in keeping its Stadia service, and most importantly, the Stadia technology, around.

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