Google Stadia
From Invertopedia, the encyclopedia of how things fail
Google Stadia was Google's cloud gaming service, which streamed games from Google's data centers instead of running them on a console[1][2]. It launched on November 19, 2019[1], with a $129.99 Founder's Edition and a $9.99-a-month Pro tier[2], and players bought each game on Stadia's own store[2]. In September 2022 Google said Stadia "hasn't gained the traction with users that we expected" and shut it down on January 18, 2023, refunding hardware and game purchases[4][5][6].
Contents
The bet
Google believed games could live in its data centers instead of in a box under the TV. Players would not need a console, only a controller, a screen and a connection, and Pro subscribers would get 4K at 60 frames a second[2].
Players would buy games a la carte on a new store, at prices in line with other stores[2], and trust that the service would be there to play them on for years.
What happened
| Jun 2019 | Google prices the Founder's Edition at $129.99, with a controller, a Chromecast Ultra and three months of Stadia Pro. Pro costs $9.99 a month; the free Base tier will not open until early 2020, and games are bought one at a time.[2] |
|---|---|
| Oct 15, 2019 | Google sets the launch for November 19.[1] |
| Nov 19, 2019 | Stadia launches for Founder's Edition buyers.[1][2] |
| Feb 1, 2021 | Google closes its two Stadia game studios, in Los Angeles and Montreal, affecting around 150 people. Studio head Jade Raymond leaves, and Google says it will not invest further in exclusive games beyond those planned near-term.[3] |
| Sep 29, 2022 | Stadia head Phil Harrison announces Google will wind the service down, saying it "hasn't gained the traction with users that we expected."[4][6] |
| Sep 29, 2022 | Stadia Pro charges from this date on will be refunded; earlier Pro charges will not.[5] |
| Nov 9, 2022 | Refunds begin, paid back to the original payment method.[5] |
| Jan 18, 2023 | The servers shut down. Players lose access to their libraries.[4][5] |
The kill shot
It asked players to buy their games again on a brand-new store, from a company they did not trust to stay, and it never got the traction Google expected.
Every game had to be bought separately for Stadia[2], so a player's library only had value as long as Google kept the service running. That made the purchase a bet on Google's commitment, and Google's own announcement put the shutdown down to a lack of traction with users[4].
Nearly two years before the end, Google closed the studios making its own exclusive games[3]. Harrison said the company would focus on "the proven technology of Stadia" and on business partnerships[3], which left fewer reasons to buy in.
Red flags ignored
- Pay twice for the same games. Stadia games were bought separately on Stadia's store[2], so anyone with a console or PC already owned most of what was on offer.
- A library that lived on someone else's server. When the servers went off on January 18, 2023, the games went with them.[4][5]
- Pulling back on content. Closing the in-house studios in 2021 ended Stadia's own exclusive games pipeline.[3]
- Paywall at launch. At launch the only way in was the $129.99 Founder's Edition; the free tier was not due until early 2020.[2]
The cost
Google has not put a figure on what Stadia cost it. It refunded all Stadia hardware bought through the Google Store and all game and add-on purchases made on the Stadia store[4][6], mostly by mid-January 2023[4]. In most cases hardware did not have to be sent back[5].
Stadia Pro subscription charges made before September 29, 2022 were not refunded[5]. The 2021 studio closures affected around 150 people[3].
The inversion
If customers fear you'll quit, they won't invest. Prove commitment before you ask for theirs.
What survived
The technology and the people. Google said the streaming platform "has been proven at scale," that it saw uses for it across YouTube, Google Play and its augmented reality work and would offer it to industry partners, and that many Stadia team members would carry the work forward in other parts of the company[4].
Players got their money back for hardware and store purchases[4][5], which is rare for a shut-down platform.
References
- ^ “Stadia launches November 19”. Gematsu, October 15, 2019. The November 19, 2019 launch date, streaming from Google's data centers, and the Founder's Edition contents.
- ^ “Everything you need to know about the Google Stadia launch”. Game Informer, June 6, 2019. The $129.99 Founder's Edition and its contents, Stadia Pro at $9.99 a month with 4K/60, the free Base tier delayed to early 2020, games bought a la carte at store-matched prices, Founder's Edition as the only way in at launch.
- ^ “Google is ending its first-party game development, closing two studios”. Game Informer, February 1, 2021. The Los Angeles and Montreal studio closures, around 150 affected, Jade Raymond leaving, no further exclusive content, Harrison's quotes.
- ^ “A message about Stadia and our long term streaming strategy”. Google (Phil Harrison), September 29, 2022. The wind-down, the "traction" quote, play through January 18, 2023, refunds of hardware and store purchases mostly by mid-January 2023, the streaming tech and staff moving to other parts of Google.
- ^ “Stadia Announcement FAQ”. Google Stadia Help Center. Pro charges before September 29, 2022 not refunded and later ones refunded, refunds from November 9, 2022, hardware refunds without returns, servers off January 18, 2023.
- ^ “Stadia to shut down on January 18, 2023; all purchases to be refunded”. Gematsu, September 29, 2022. The shutdown date and refunds (cross-check).