Google has denied reports claiming that it is shutting down its gaming platform Stadia. "Stadia is not shutting down. Rest assured we're always working on bringing more great games to the platform and Stadia Pro. Let us know if you have other questions," said Google in a reply to a tweet from Stadia's official Twitter account. The tweet tagged the Twitter user @BlueFireDemon44.
The 'Killed By Google' website that lists all of Google's canceled products in a recent tweet claimed that the search giant is planning to discontinue Stadia by the end of this summer. The tweet claims to quote one of the regional managers for Google, who allegedly started with Stadia. It goes on to add that Google is beginning the exit plan for the platform. It further adds that Google may follow the Google Music strategy for Stadia as well and not transfer users' data to any competition's servers per se. Giving more heads up, he claims that all Stadia users will be informed some 30-60 days before and that the last month of service will be refunded and no charge taken for its usage.
Google Stadia's 'troubles'
In March this year, Google made the key technology underlying Stadia an enterprise cloud product called Immersive Stream for Games, something similar to products in Google's cloud portfolio. The announcement was made during its Games for Developers Summit. Several analysts had then termed the announcement as a shift in Google’s focus for Stadia, claiming that it shows that the platform is no longer core part of Google's gaming strategy. In the past too, there have been reports of Stadia missing growth milestones. Google also pulled the plug on its Stadia Games & Entertainment studio in less than two years and before it could actually release any original games.
One of the biggest problems with Stadia is also said to be lack of compelling content. "It rarely gets AAA games, and those it does get are often late," as a report in Extremetech said.
Service not available in India
Google so far has also not launched Stadia in India, one of the key markets for the company for several of its products.
US tech giant Google has announced that it is not pulling the plug on its Stadia cloud-based gaming platform.
The statement comes in response to a Twitter post by an account named 'Killed by Google' which claimed that the service would be shut down soon.
The tech firm has assured that it is "working on bringing more great games to the platform."
False
How did the rumor start?
Last week, Killed by Google, a Twitter account that keeps track of the company's canceled products, shared a message relevant to Stadia.
It said that Google would shut the platform by the end of summer. The users would be informed of the same 30 to 60 days in advance, and the subscription amount would be refunded without any extra charges.
Official words
What was Google's response?
In reply to a user who asked Google about Stadia's cancellation, the company gave a cheeky response.
It said, "Old coworker of mine is now one of the social managers for Google. They had a pretty large seminar in California this past weekend, and long story short you now can play Wavetale at no additional cost on Stadia Pro until August 1."
Features
What is Google Stadia?
Google Stadia is a cloud-based gaming service in which games can be purchased and played without downloading them to consoles or PCs.
The games are hosted on remote servers and their video is streamed to connected devices such as smartphones and TVs.
It is available in free and paid versions, and can be used using Wi-Fi or mobile data (4G or 5G).
Information
Google Stadia is available in 22 countries
The Google Stadia is available in 22 nations including the US, Spain, Poland, Italy, Romania, the UK, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, France, and the Czech Republic. It is not offered in India and probably won't be in the near future.
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