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Google Stadia has been around since 2019 and has acquired quite a library of new and classic titles for players to stream on whatever device they want provided it supports either Google Chrome or Safari. However, it hasn’t turned out to be quite as successful as Google might have hoped. Once thought to be the bedrock for Google’s first-party game development studios, Google abandoned its development ambitions last year and "deprioritized" Stadia earlier this year.
Yesterday, a new rumor began circulating on social media that said Google was going to shut down Stadia entirely by the end of the summer. That came according to the Killed by Google Twitter account (via GameRant) which cited a regional manager within Google as its source.
Stadia, however, says that it’s not going anywhere. Responding to a Twitter user who thought it was "incredible that I really have to ask this," a Google representative said that the search giant has no plans to shut down Stadia anytime soon.
"Stadia is not shutting down," Google replied. "Rest assured we're always working on bringing more great games to the platform and Stadia Pro. Let us know if you have other questions."
Google might not be shutting Stadia down, but it has definitely taken a back seat for the company. New game announcements have slowed thanks to "reduced interest" from other publishers. Instead, Google plans to assist other game companies with their own streaming technology while salvaging Stadia’s technology for other projects.
Game streaming is still a great idea, but Stadia might have tried to launch its service before the technology was entirely ready. Today, Stadia is competing with Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation Plus, GeForce Now, and even Amazon Luna, not to mention anyone who’s fine with streaming video games locally through Steam’s Remote Play Together.
Google’s problems aren’t just limited to Stadia. The Russian government has just fined YouTube for hosting illegal videos on the platform, most of which fall victim to Russia's new law that prohibits accurate reporting of the war in Ukraine.