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Google’s long-time dominance in the gaming world has come out of its rut this week. Stadia will remain in a reduced form for a few months, allowing everyone to get back their spent money, if not their time, from its body. Despite the amount of money Google spent to get big-name games on its platform, it still couldn’t muster the support it needed. Not to speak badly about the recently deceased, but I approach its downfall with a mix of entertainment and a bit of sadness. I feel sorry for the developers and gamers who were blinded by the news, but not so much for the megacorporation that stymied Stadia’s execution.
For those who don’t know, I have a history with Stadia, mostly as one of its critics. I was very skeptical of the claims Google was making about its new service – the first article I wrote about it was to point out that, contrary to its claims of being a console-less gaming service, it’s not a gaming service. The only way to access was to purchase the $129 “Founders Edition” with the Launch Chromecast. Furthermore, I criticized a company that was trying to position its product as a “solution” for expensive console gaming, when Stadia would rely on reliable, fast internet, which isn’t cheap.
Looking back, I might not have been completely fair to Stadia. I briefly subscribed to Stadia Pro, out of genuine curiosity and a desire to critique it from an educated position. I was neither particularly impressed nor hurt by what I saw, although I did like Tequila Works’ gilt. While the platform didn’t wow me, I now recognize that the future of cloud gaming in the gaming world is bigger than it was at the time. However, I still believe that Google won’t get us there. The idea was (somewhat) sound – the execution was not.
So, in other news, the skull and bones have been pushed back even further. I’m not sure what could be wrong with that a few more months of development could fix, but at this point I just wish this game was off the “upcoming” release calendar. And just to prove that I’m not completely sour – I’ve really enjoyed what I’ve seen of Slime Rancher 2 so far! I played it last weekend and I had the pleasure of returning to the land of jelly creatures and candy colored leaves. If Google hadn’t decided to put Stadia down, this week’s Kaiser focus would have been nothing but a slim Rancher 2 appreciation column.
what to play this week
What’s new:
- fifa 23
- Deathverse: Let It Die
- Earth
- Valkyrie Elysium
- Moonscars
- railgrade
- dome keeper
- terra invicta
- Brewmaster: Beer Brewing Simulator
New on subscription services:
- Let’s Build a Zoo (Xbox Game Pass)
- Walheim (Xbox Game Pass)
- Windbound (Xbox Games with Gold)
- Skatebird (Luna Prime)
- Earthworm Gym 2 (Luna Prime)
- Star Wars Pinball (Luna Prime)
- Monster Truck Championship (Luna Prime)
- Metro Exodus (Luna Prime)
- Blair Witch (Luna Prime)
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits (GeForce Now)
- The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero (GeForce Now)
- Ground Branch (GeForce Now)
- Jagged Alliance: Rage! (GeForce Now)
- River City Saga: Three Kingdoms (now GeForce)
- Weable (GeForce Now)
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