After several setbacks, Google might be going in the right direction with Stadia. The company has revealed new features that could possibly bring new players and devs to its cloud gaming platform.
Several announcements were made during the Google for Games Developer Summit on March 15.
- Click to Play Trials will be introduced to all devs and publishers by the end of 2022 and will allow gamers to play free trials just by clicking a link, without logging into an account. For example, Gearbox Publishing has already released a 60-minute demo for Risk of Rain 2.
- Immersive Stream for Games will allow other companies to use Google’s cloud gaming technology for their own titles and products.
- Low Change Porting will let developers more easily port games built with Unreal Engine and Unity to Stadia. Several partners are now testing the tool, including Paradox Interactive, Team17, and Saber Interactive.
In February 2021, Google shut down Stadia’s internal studios, abandoning its ambitions to develop exclusive titles for its cloud gaming platform. Despite problems with attracting and retaining players, the company has been claiming that the service is “alive and well.”
With the latest announcements, Google is trying to improve Stadia and make it more appealing to both gamers and developers. However, it is unclear whether these features will make the platform competitive in the market.