Hey readers, and welcome back. Last time, I mentioned the Google Stadia in my video gaming money saver article. I promised to follow up with Stadia and here we are. Google has recently been on the gaming news about their (former) Senior Creative Director of Google Stadia. Because of the recent report and Stadia being almost a year old (November 19, 2019), I thought it would be a great time to inform the people about Stadia. Along with talking about what he said for Google to social distance themselves from him, and why most people may never have heard of this system.
What is Google Stadia?
For the ordinary people that don’t know, Stadia is a new “platform” developed and published by Google. The general idea of Stadia is that it acts as a cloud gaming service. Which lets you stream video games anywhere you have an internet connection on any screen that’s compatible. As long as you have some Google-based device or browser, you can play that platform.
Stadia was designed to turn the gaming industry on its head. However, it has fallen flat due to low support and interest in the system at launch. Between the reported Chromecast failures, blatant latency, and an already outdated library, Stadia has been trying to catch up ever since.
So, What Happened Recently?
On October 22nd, Google’s Alex Hutchinson, creative director of Stadia Games and Entertainment, Twitter (original tweet) comment on recently copyrighted music takedowns.
In a said tweet, he stated, “Streamers worried about getting their content pulled because they used music they didn’t pay for should be more worried by the fact that they’re streaming games they didn’t pay for as well. It’s all gone as soon as publishers decide to enforce it.”
“The real truth is the streamers should be paying the developers and publishers of the games they stream. They should be buying a license like any real business and paying for the content they use.” He wrote.
Here’s the truth. Game developers and publishers love working with streamers. The reason is that they’re a global form of word-of-mouth marketing. The hottest game right now, Among Us, blew up this year because of this method (even though it came out two years ago). Not only that, but many gaming companies have policies on their websites that say streamers, big or small, are free to livestream their videogames.
Once Google had gotten word of this, a spokesperson on behalf of the company says, “the recent tweets by Alex Hutchinson…, do not reflect those of Stadia, YouTube or Google.” After the statements, his bio was altered on Twitter to Creative Director @ SG&E. I’m assuming SG&E is still Google Stadia. Yet, him changing it will tell how much blowback he received from his remarks.
Would I recommend Google Stadia?
An online gaming service that only requires somewhere between 60-130 USD to get started and 10 USD a month sounds like a great plan. However, I can’t recommend it, even if you’re a gamer on a budget. Although Stadia has shown some progression over the year, other services do cloud gaming better, if not, cheaper than Stadia. Between GeForce NOW having a free tier, Xbox Game Pass having brand new and Electronic Arts games, and Amazon in the competition with Luna with Ubisoft games in the future, there’s no way to even advocate for Stadia. I can’t even suggest because all the other services cost less than Stadia (dear Lord). Okay, I’m done dissing Stadia—time to wrap this up.
Final Thoughts
The Google Stadia has been shuffling out of the gates since it started. It had all the potential and all of the promise. But the dated library and competition give a form of inferiority. The last thing Stadia needs is bad publicity from its Creative Director. It’s never a good thing to see a business struggle, especially in the world’s current state. But it’s always essential for a business to improve, or else it does deserve to fall by the wayside.
That will do it for my article. If you enjoyed what you read, make sure to like and comment down below. While you’re at it, make sure to follow my site’s Twitter page, @_urgegaming. There, you will receive updates for the latest and greatest in gaming stories. As always, tell someone you love them and have a blessed day. Peace.