Google has shut down its Stadia cloud-gaming service in the UK, promising to refund gamers who have made Stadia purchases.
The service was made inaccessible after 08:00 on 19 January, many gamers say they are “heartbroken” to see it go.
Google says it will refund people who bought controllers, games or downloadable content, with Google previously estimating those refunds would be completed by mid-January.
Google has marked the closure by releasing one final Stadia game, Worm Game, which the developers used to test the service before its public release.
“We’re grateful to the dedicated Stadia players that have been with us from the start. We will be refunding all Stadia hardware purchases made through the Google Store, and all game and add-on content purchases made through the Stadia store.” Google announced on the blog.
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Stadia, a Netflix for games
Stadia was popular as a “neflix for games” since it launched, in November 2019, allowing players to stream games online without a PC or console.
However, after its closure, google has unveiled plans to make its Stadia controllers capable of using Bluetooth, which would allow them to be used on PCs wirelessly to play any game.
Google had announced in September that it was shutting Stadia because it hadn’t gained the expected traction with users.
“ A few years ago, we also launched a consumer gaming service, Stadia. And while Stadia’s approach to streaming games for consumers was built on a strong technology foundation, it hasn’t gained the traction with users that we expected, so we’ve made the difficult decision to begin winding down our Stadia streaming service.” Google announced on their blog.
But fans have reacted with sadness, with many pointing out that some games developed exclusively to be played on Stadia could be lost forever once the service closes.
Not Gone Forever
Stadia founder and chief executive Dylan Cuthbert told journalists his team would make sure it’s not “gone forever”.
According to him, the team had spent two years developing Stadia exclusive PixelJunk Raiders and wanted to make sure it was not “gone forever”.
“It’s a real shame when people can’t play a game you’ve spent years making,” he said.
“We’re hoping to talk to publishers who can help us get it on to a PC or even PS5 [PlayStation 5] or other platforms. The IP is ours, so we’re trying to find a way to do that.”
Mr Cuthbert said he was discussing how this might work with Google, which had been “forward thinking” about finding a resolution. But there is another problem. I’d want to rework the game a little bit as well,” he said.
“At the time when we launched it, we did have to rush it a bit at the end. I wanted to spend like a bit more time – maybe another eight months or so – reworking a few things.
“If I was going to relaunch it, I’d do that, and I’d want to find a publisher who can help us do that. But there’s nothing on the books yet.” He added.
Jordy, 30, from Gosport, told BBC News she owned three Stadia controllers and was “heartbroken” it was closing.
“I honestly loved Stadia, one of the things I found the best about Stadia was the fact I could game anywhere.” She said.
“I was able to play games like Destiny 2 with my partner via my iPad whilst he was playing on the PS5. The Stadia controller was the best controller I’d used. I loved it.” She added.
“The refunds enabled me to get myself a new gaming device, and Ubisoft even gave me the games we already purchased for free,” she said.
“Even the hardware was refunded, so we essentially got controllers and 4K Chromecasts for free. It is a shame that Stadia had to close, but I am happy I was able to experience it.” Jordy explained.
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About Stadia
Stadia is Google’s cloud-based gaming platform that lets you play your favorite video games instantly across compatible TVs, computers, and mobile devices, with no waiting to download games, patches, or platform updates.