Google has announced that it is shuttering its cloud gaming streaming service Stadia, almost four years after launching in November 2019. According to Stadia VP Phil Harrison, the service will be ending on January 18th, 2023 and the company will refund all hardware and software purchases related to Stadia.
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“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,” Harrison said. “Players will continue to have access to their games library and play through January 18, 2023 so they can complete final play sessions. We expect to have the majority of refunds completed by mid-January, 2023.”
Harrison thanked the users that took to the platform but added that Stadia had not “gained the traction with users that we expected.” Harrison noted that the underlying Stadia tech will be used at other parts of Google including “YouTube, Google Play, and our Augmented Reality (AR) efforts,” and will also make it available for “industry partners.”
The company had been slowly winding down its involvement with Stadia starting with shutting down its first-party games studio, Stadia Games and Entertainment, in February 2021. A report earlier this year revealed that Google had deprioritized the gaming side of the platform, and would focus more selling on the underlying structure.
“For the Stadia team, building and supporting Stadia from the ground up has been fueled by the same passion for games that our players have. Many of the Stadia team members will be carrying this work forward in other parts of the company. We’re so grateful for the groundbreaking work of the team and we look forward to continuing to have an impact across gaming and other industries using the foundational Stadia streaming technology.”
