When it was revealed that the internal studios working on Google Stadia would be disbanded, many thought it would be just the first step towards the cloud platform's decline or even closure. However, speaking to GamesIndustry, Google Stadia Product Marketing Lead Nate Ahearn stated that the platform is alive and well.
We're well on our way to over 100 new games launching on Stadia in 2021, and we're continuing to make Stadia a great place to play games on devices you already own. I'd tell any non-believers to take notice of how we're continuing to put our words into action, as we grow the Stadia Makers program and partner with AAA studios like Capcom, EA, Square Enix, Ubisoft and others. We're focused on delivering value for our partners and on behalf of our players.
One of the most recent Google Stadia initiatives is Stadia Makers, which is focused on helping indie developers get their games on the cloud platform. That doesn't mean Google expects them to offset the lack of exclusives, though.
We're not shifting pressure onto the independent studios we work with in Stadia Makers. The whole point of the program is to support their addition of Stadia as a launch platform for their game, not add any pressure or make anything harder for them.
An important distinction about Stadia Makers to highlight is that by design, we don't expect any studios to exclusively publish their game on Stadia. Rather, the program is designed to support studios in bringing their Unity-based games to launch on Stadia in addition to other platforms.
That translates into more games for players to enjoy from diverse voices, that tackle themes like mental health, dystopian realities, and the human mind. For the independent studios that are part of Stadia Makers, 2021 will bring more players to experience their games instantly through the cloud, and we think that's a great opportunity to continue to build upon.
Whether that's going to be enough for Google Stadia to stay afloat remains to be seen. Google did add a couple of triple-A games like Resident Evil 7 and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order to the Stadia Pro subscription recently, while Resident Evil Village is also purchasable on the platform from day one.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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