Stadia is Dead. That’s still (months after the announcement) a bit of a punch to the gut. How am I feeling about it all now – on shutdown day?
Well, first off, I’ll say I don’t regret pouring a significant amount of passion into supporting the platform. Stadia’s technology remains the vision for the future of gaming that excites me. Stadia represents the implementation of cloud gaming that I want to see succeed. I think cloud gaming (and gaming in general) is better off because of Stadia and its community.
Have I lost faith in Google’s ability to innovate, commit to and/or properly market something new? Nah. I get that business is business and figuring out how to make money off the significant costs associated with cloud gaming infrastructure is not a trivial exercise. I expect Google to remain in the game (pun intended) via Google Cloud. I wouldn’t be surprise to find Stadia tech back in play powering a future cloud gaming service for Ubisoft, Steam or another major player.
I mostly blame the downfall of Stadia on the amount of misinformation and negativity spread about the platform throughout its life by folks not really interested or willing in giving it a fair shot. It is true a significant marketing campaign from Google could have potentially overcome these headwinds. For better or worse, Google execs weren’t willing to fund that – Stadia never even hit retail store shelves.
I game again because of Stadia
I have played more games during the past three years than the previous 30 because of Stadia. I discovered Red Dead Redemption 2, reconnected with Final Fantasy in FF15, climbed mountains with Celeste, raided tombs and travelled ancient Greece in Odyssey.
But, most importantly, Stadia arrived just in time to help during the pandemic. I stayed connected with family and friends all around the continent via game-nights on Stadia – where no one was required to purchase a console! Stadia also allowed me to find a common interest with my kiddo – and to spend lots of hours together.
The Stadia community is unrivaled
I always saw a lot of similarities in the Stadia community and the early Android community. There were so many people stepping up to contribute and make everyone’s experience better. People made apps and browser extensions, wikis and databases, achievement communities, guides, news sites and videos, organized play-a-longs/events/places to hang out, created and moderated communities, did reviews, helped new people discover the platform and people to play with.
And then, there were so many people just having fun and sharing that positivity with the community.
What’s next?
So what now? Well… I’ve previously said multiple times that I didn’t consider myself a gamer. But, I think Stadia has turned me into one.
So, I move on without a preferred service to champion in order to try (in an admittedly small way) to influence the other services in this nascent cloud gaming space. Going forward, I plan to communicate (to all who will listen) about what was so compelling in Stadia’s technology that gave rise to such a passionate community of dedicated fans – in the hopes that others take up Stadia’s mantle.
I’m excited to watch as NVIDIA GeForce Now evolves to improve its user experience to approach the promise that Stadia reached with “click to play.” I’m also excited to have XCloud on my Smart TV at some point in the future (CCwGTV and/or ShieldTV) and the ability to play purchased games.
It’s been a fun ride championing Stadia. There isn’t yet a single other service I’m excited enough about to similarly champion going forward. But, I’m not going to stay quiet either.
I am now a gamer… for better or worse. I have opinions. And you can expect to see them at Cloud Dosage.
You are right Jack. It has been an Incredible ride. And it has been a pleasure riding along with you. Wherever the future takes you I hope to be right there.
Thank you, Jack, for your endless support.
Thank you Jack for the most Awesome of times in the stadia community
Thank you for everything Jack!!!
STADIA is still the ONLY true cloud gaming technology that exists, where you can play in 4K and forget you’re in the cloud. STILL the least expensive way to “click to play” AAA, online, 1080p/60, multiplayer gaming, on all your devices, with no time limits or queueing. (And, including your TV if you own a Chromecast.) Think of that. So why would Google axe such an amazing place where people from all walks can come together at a fraction of the cost and without the need for powerful hardware?
I blame the feckless, dementia patient, they got propped up in The White House. That’s right. Recession, record high inflation, insane gas prices, covid shutdowns, food shortages, crime surge…even Google got hit and hit hard.
Since they installed this drooling mess of an impostor, America has been struggling. So there you go. The mumbling, stumbling, 80 year old, diaper boy, who falls up stairs; he and this anti-America regime took your STADIA away.
Guarantee STADIA would have flourished under the Ultra Maga King. And you know it too. Mean tweets and a thriving STADIA community sure sounds good right about now doesn’t it. ??
(Now go enjoy your expensive hardware, high electric bills, and wasted time spent waiting on downloads & updates. It’s un-American.)
Just genuinely curious, what do you think to gain from being such an incorrigible apologist for a soulless corporation like Google? Do you believe they will eventually reward your unquestioning loyalty by giving you a job? That’s not how it works, man. Corporations don’t care one bit about their employees, they will drop them the second some higher-up decides they are no longer profitable enough.
No offense intended here, you seem to be a nice guy, just honestly fascinated how an obviously very well-educated and intelligent person like yourself (you have a PhD in physics for crying out loud) can be this naive and, excuse my language, whore themselves out to a corporation that will never give a damn about you. Why would you do this, I just so don’t get it.