Google Stadia: Cloud gaming service opens up

The cloud gaming service Google Stadia never achieved the success that the search engine giant had hoped for. In the meantime, Google is rethinking its gaming division, which also enables Steam on ChromeOS devices, among other things. Google Stadia, on the other hand, is getting a new, more open direction.

Google Stadia with change in strategy

Google has officially confirmed the new direction for its Stadia cloud gaming service as part of the Google for Games Developer Summit. The service offering is to position itself more openly in the market and present itself in a completely different way than has been the case to date.

Stadia will be used to offer more game demos in the future, while the streaming technology will be made available as a white-label product for other companies. Via streaming, users will be able to try out demo versions of games in the stream without a Google account or active subscription.

Porting games to the Google Stadia platform will also become easier and cheaper thanks to the support of Google Tools. Game manufacturers should thus be able to offer their titles and also demo versions on Stadia with less effort. The changes are to be implemented in the course of 2022.

Furthermore, Stadia is to develop further in the direction of white label and serve as a technical basis for third-party offerings. Google calls the project “Immersive Stream for Games”, which also includes analysis tools in addition to the Stadia technology. Above all, providers without their own technology for cloud gaming should benefit from this and be able to publish their streaming titles directly and quickly.