The stadium ends with the development of its own games and closes its studios -apkrig
When Google introduced the Stadia streaming platform at GDC 2019, its director Phil Harrison spared no superlatives. He talked about the materialized future of gaming, flowily described the benefits it will bring to players, and did not forget to mention that Google of course will start developing his own wonderful games in the Stadia Games and Entertainment division, which will be led by producer Jade Raymond. Two years later, the same person announces that internal development is coming to an end, a pair of studios in Los Angeles and Montreal are closing, and Jade Raymond is leaving Google without being able to add even one new game to his portfolio from 2013 onwards.
Together with Raymond, who last signed under Splinter Cell: Blacklist and subsequently led the already canceled studios Motive and Visceral under the banner of EA, another 150 people are leaving the development division.
“Creating the best games takes many years and requires considerable investment, which is also growing exponentially. With a focus on the further development of proven Google Stadium technology and the establishment of business partnerships [s third party vývojáři] we’ve decided to end our funding of our exclusive content from Stadia Games and Entertainment, “said Phil Harrison in a blog post on Google. He also explains that the increased interest in offering the platform for use by third parties prompted producer Jade Raymond to oversee the release of three games – Outcasters, Orcs Must Die! and Submerged – to leave and seek new opportunities. The director of Google Stadium had no choice but to thank her for her work and wish her good luck in the next chapters of her career.
Together with Raymond, who last signed on Splinter Cell: Blacklist and subsequently led the already canceled studios Motive and Visceral under the banner of EA, another 150 people are leaving the development division, according to Kotaku. However, according to Phil Harrison, everyone should be offered the opportunity to apply for another position within Google, although it is not clear at this time what percentage of employees will use it. Of the two studios, the cessation of development activities under the auspices of Google’s gaming division is a bigger blow to Montreal-based Typhoon Studios – not a new team created just to create games for the Stadium, but an independent team that Google reached for through the acquisition. until the end of 2019. The history of Typhoon Studios, the first of which was the successful first person adventure Journey to the Savage Planet, ends after four years, and even at this point it is not clear at this time how or whether the team led by Alex Hutchinson will want to continue. .
However, the cessation of internal game development should in no way affect the functioning of the service itself. Phil Harrison assures that players can continue to play, whether they use the free edition or a subscription to Stadium Pro, and can expect further additions to the library’s titles. “We are committed to the future of cloud gaming and will continue to drive the industry forward. Our goal remains to create the best possible platform for games and technologies of our partners, “concludes the director of Stadie. Whether they can be trusted is currently difficult to estimate, in the face of widespread acceptance of the service by fans and a financial model that deviates dramatically from what is probably the most successful Game Pass at the moment, but we remain vigilant and would not be surprised by any changes.
After all, Google has a reputation for being a company that certainly doesn’t hesitate to discontinue its services at a time when they don’t appear to be financially or user-friendly, which greatly underscores the KilledByGoogle portal. It currently brings together 224 applications, services and hardware provided by Google killed in recent years, always with an apt description and reminder of the circumstances. And often the entry in this list was preceded by changes, not unlike those we describe above. Of course, we can also add to them the reduction in the price for the Stadium subscription, which came about seven months after launch, and a number of unfulfilled promises to directly link streaming games to YouTube videos or share a link to quickly enter a specific title at a desired location. On the other hand, the Stadium cannot be denied that it works technologically and offers an alternative approach to games and those interested in the Czech Republic.
