Google will refund all Stadia purchases, including hardware, software, and DLC
Stadia, Google’s cloud gaming service, is being shut down. Players will be able to use the service until January 18th, 2023. Google will refund all Stadia hardware bought through the Google Store, as well as all Stadia games and add-on material. Google estimates that the refunds will be finished by mid-January.
“A few years ago, we also launched a consumer gaming service, Stadia,” Stadia vice president and general manager Phil Harrison wrote in a blog post. “And while Stadia’s approach to streaming games for consumers was built on a strong technology foundation, it hasn’t gained the traction with users that we expected so we’ve made the difficult decision to begin winding down our Stadia streaming service.” Stadia employees will be moved to other parts of the organization.
Google, according to Harrison, sees chances to adapt Stadia’s technology to other aspects, such as YouTube, Google Play, and its AR projects, and the company also aims to “make it available to our industry partners, which aligns with where we see the future of gaming headed,” he said.
In a FAQ, Google clarified some of the deeper details of the shutdown. Refunds will be sent automatically through the Google as well as Stadia stores, and you will not be required to return any equipment. Stadia Pro subscriptions will not be refunded; however, you would not be charged during the shutdown period and will be able to access any titles you may have redeemed as a Pro user till everything is shut down. Google has shut down the Stadia shop, meaning you can’t buy games or make in-game purchases.
The indications were somewhat clear for Stadia for quite some time, most notably when Logitech introduced its new cloud gaming portable last week, with Stadia one of the very few cloud gaming services that was not mentioned. Stadia, on the other hand, has been faced by speculations of its collapse since its inception. Stadia, a cloud gaming service from a business with minimal ties to the gaming industry, appeared to be a perfect target for an untimely end.
Rumors circulated last year that it will shut down when the number of games released on the platform dropped and the company closed its in-house game development offices. When the reports surfaced this year again, Google assured that Stadia was not being shut down. “Rest assured we’re always working bringing more great games to the platform and Stadia Pro,” the business said in a tweet. Which was accurate… up to now.
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