Vratislav Holub In recent years, so-called cloud gaming platforms have received significant attention. With their help, you could start playing AAA games without having to have a sufficiently powerful computer or game console. You could thus enjoy gaming practically anytime and anywhere. All you need is a sufficiently stable internet connection. Cloud gaming has often been talked about as the future of gaming as a whole, or as a possible solution to gaming on Mac computers.
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But now the situation is reversed and a completely different question arises. Do cloud gaming services have a future? A surprising news flew through the Internet. Google has announced the end of its Stadia platform, which until now holds the position of one of the leaders in this industry. The game platform's servers will be shut down for good on January 18, 2023, with Google also promising refunds for hardware and software purchased in connection with the service. So now the question is whether this is an overall problem with cloud gaming services, or whether the fault was more with Google. This is exactly what we are going to shed light on together now.
The future of cloud gaming
In addition to Google Stadia, we can include GeForce NOW (Nvidia) and Xbox Cloud Gaming (Microsoft) among the most well-known cloud gaming services. So why did Google probably have to end its entire financially expensive project and rather back away from it? The basic problem will most likely lie in the setup of the entire platform. Unfortunately, Google cannot properly compete with the mentioned two services, for several reasons. The basic problem is most likely the overall platform setup. Google tried to create its own gaming universe, which brought with it huge limitations and a number of difficulties.
Google Stadia also has its own hardware
First, let's explain how competing platforms work. For example, GeForce NOW can work with your existing game libraries of Steam, Ubisoft, Epic and more. It was simply enough to connect your library and then you could immediately start playing already owned (supported) titles. Simply put, if you already owned the games, there was nothing stopping you from enjoying them in the cloud, so to speak. And if you happen to change your mind and buy a gaming PC in the future, you can continue playing those titles there.
Microsoft is taking a slightly different approach for a change. With it, you have to subscribe to the so-called Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. This service unlocks an extensive library of over a hundred AAA games for Xbox. Microsoft has a huge advantage in this, that dozens of game development studios fall under its wing, thanks to which the giant can provide first-class games directly within this package. However, the main benefit is that the Xbox Game Pass package is not only for cloud gaming. It will continue to make an even more extensive library of games available for you to play on your PC or Xbox console. The possibility of playing in the cloud can be seen more as a bonus in this regard.
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Unpopular system from Google
Unfortunately, Google saw it differently and went its own way. You could simply say that he wanted to build his own platform completely, which he probably failed at in the final. Like the two mentioned platforms, Stadia is also available for a monthly subscription that unlocks several games for you to play for free every month. These games will remain in your account, but only until you cancel your subscription - once you cancel, you lose everything. By doing this, Google probably wanted to keep as many subscribers as possible. But what if you wanted to play a completely different/new game? Then you had to buy it directly from Google in the Stadia store.
How other services will continue
So, a rather fundamental question is currently being resolved among the fans. Is the bad setup of the entire platform responsible for the cancellation of Google Stadia, or is the entire segment of cloud gaming not meeting enough success? Unfortunately, finding the answer to this question is not so easy, typically because it was the Google Stadia service that pioneered a unique approach that could ultimately undermine it. However, there is absolutely no need to worry about the risk of the demise of, for example, Xbox Cloud Gaming. Microsoft has a huge advantage in that it considers cloud gaming only as a supplement or as a temporary alternative to normal gaming, while Stadia was intended for exactly these purposes.
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It will also be interesting to watch the upcoming development of Nvidia's GeForce NOW service. The key to the success of this platform is to have real quality game titles that players are interested in. When the service was officially launched, the list of supported titles included even the most popular games ever - for example, titles from Bethesda or Blizzard studios. However, you can no longer play via GeForce NOW. Microsoft is taking both studios under its wing and is also responsible for the respective titles.
