Google announced on Tuesday (01/02) that it will no longer invest in its game production company Stadia Studios. The decision is linked to the increasingly high production costs of games, and the Mountain View company claims a repositioning of the brand as a platform focused only on streaming titles from other producers.
According to Phil Harrison, Vice President and Game Manager at Stadia, the change in the company's plans became clear after the platform's performance in Triple A titles (big releases) such as Cyberpunk 2077, from CD Projekt.
The game, which was one of the most anticipated games of 2020, disappointed thousands of players due to bugs and performance issues on platforms such as PS4, Xbox One and PCs. However, thanks to Stadia's cloud processing, the game performed surprisingly well on the streaming platform, being considered one of the most suitable for playing it.
Thus, the executive stated that Stadia's goals in 2021 will be to further optimize the service and work together with producers to bring a improved user experience. As a result, employees at Stadia Studios in Los Angeles and Montreal will be reassigned to other projects within the company.
Jade Raymond leaving the company
Despite the optimistic announcement, the decision to close Stadia's game production company was apparently not harmonious. Executive Jade Raymond, known for her involvement in important franchises such as The Sims and Assassin's Creed and who had been brought from Ubisoft to lead Google's titles, will not continue at the company.
According to Google's announcement, Jade has decided to pursue other projects in the market. The executive did not comment on the case.
Known for producing franchises such as Assassin's Creed and Splinter Cell, Raymond arrived at Google to produce exclusive games for Stadia. Photo: ZCooperstown/Wikimedia
The creation of Stadia Games & Entertainment, with Raymond joining the project, was one of the great Stadia launch attractions, in 2019. At the time, Google promised to create exclusive games as good as those found on the main consoles of the generation and Raymond's presence also served as a midfielder for the closing a partnership with Ubisoft to launch Assassin's Creed Odyssey as one of the platform's flagship titles on its release.
Stadia may still receive exclusives
Despite the closure of its game studios, Stadia can continue receiving exclusive games from other developers. The platform recently received the title outcasters, from Splash Damage, the same developer behind Gears Tactics. Three other titles made by other developers are also in the works, but have not yet been revealed.
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Photo: ZCooperstown/Wikimedia