Google has a long history of killing off its services, despite vouching that they are here to stay. Granted, the search giant is always looking for ways to make its users happier, let’s not forget that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
That said, Google’s graveyard includes many services like Hangouts, YouTube Originals, YouTube Go, Chrome Apps, Google Play Movies & TV, Google Play Music, just to name a few. Unfortunately, Google Stadia is going to the same graveyard, too next year.
I think it’s safe to say that we’re surprised it lasted that long, not that the service is being shut down. The fact that Google Stadia didn’t succeed during a 2-year pandemic that made throngs of people to turn to gaming, or the skyrocketing costs of graphics cards and the shortages, speaks volumes about how well the service was managed by the Mountain View company.
The bottom line is today’s announcement isn’t a surprise for many of us, but it’s certainly a big surprise for developers that have games launching on Stadia in the coming months. Google did not announce any developers about its plans to shut down the platform, so it’s unclear if these developers will eventually receive any money from the search giant.
However, if you’re just a Stadia user who bought games and the hardware from Google, you will be reimbursed. Google announced that it would refund all Stadia hardware purchases made through the Google Store, and all game and add-on content purchases made through the Stadia store. As you can imagine, this is a lot of money.
Google Stadia users will be able to continue to play until January 18, 2023, after which the platform will be shut down. Also, Google confirmed it expects to have the majority of refunds completed by mid-January 2023.
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