Google to Shut Down Internal Stadia Game Development Studios Due to High Costs

Alphabet's Google said on Monday it would stop internal development of games for Stadia, making the cloud-based game-streaming service entirely dependent on titles from other game developers and publishers.

Stadia was launched in 2019 along with an internal game development unit that was expected to make titles for the platform.

The company said on Monday it was shutting down the unit due to the high costs involved in developing games that attract users.

"Creating best-in-class games from the ground up takes many years and significant investment, and the cost is going up exponentially," Phil Harrison, vice president and general manager of Google Stadia, said in a blog post

Harrison also said that Jade Raymond, head of Google's Stadia Games and Entertainment, would be leaving the company to pursue other opportunities.

Stadia saw a surge in users last year after the tech giant gifted two months of free access to its premium version to gamers sheltering at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Back in November last year, Google said it was adding adding several new games to its Stadia Pro subscription service. As the titles were added in December, the lineup count for Stadia Pro games went well over 30. Stadia Director of Games Jack Buser also shared during an interview that 400 new games will be heading to Stadia. Stadia Pro subscription costs $9.99 (roughly Rs. 740) per month and is currently available in select regions including Canada, Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, US, UK, and others. India, unfortunately, is not part of the list as of now.

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