Google Shuts Down Stadia Internal Game Studios To Focus On The Platform Itself
When Google Stadia launched in 2019, Google also decided to dip their toes into game development with the creation of an internal development studios. Unfortunately, that didn’t pan out as well as the tech giant would have hoped and they’ve now decided to shut down the studios and focus on the game streaming platform instead.
According to Kotaku, around 150 developers will be affected by the closure of the Montreal and Los Angeles studios, including Stadia Games and Entertainment Head Jade Raymond, best known as the founder of Ubisoft Toronto and her work on the Assassin’s Creed franchise. Google assured the community that they will try to find other roles within the company for all the employees impacted by the decision.
Phil Harrison will be staying onboard as Vice President and General Manager of Google Stadia and will be spearheading the company’s new focus on bringing in more developers and publishers to the game streaming platform, especially with Microsoft’s Project XCloud and Amazon’s Luna ramping up their operations.
“In 2021, we’re expanding our efforts to help game developers and publishers take advantage of our platform technology and deliver games directly to their players. We see an important opportunity to work with partners seeking a gaming solution all built on Stadia’s advanced technical infrastructure and platform tools. We believe this is the best path to building Stadia into a long-term, sustainable business that helps grow the industry.”
More games are slated to join Google Stadia’s growing library this year, including The Elder Scrolls Online which will be coming to the platform alongside the Blackwood Chapter’s launch on June 1st.
