One of the reasons Google’s cloud gaming platform, Stadia, hasn’t really taken off is that it lacks compelling exclusives. Yes, you can find games like Cyberpunk 2077, Red Dead Redemption 2, Destiny 2 on it, but there are other platforms too , as a new force in the game industry, Stadia has limited advantages in competition. And just when Stadia decided to close, there was news that Google had rejected a potential blockbuster exclusive cooperation. It is said that it is the industry giant Hideo Kojima who was originally expected to come together with Google.
According to 9to5Google, Kojima Studios was working on a Death Stranding sequel for Stadia. But probably because the game was set as a stand-alone game, Google eventually abandoned the plan. For this horror-style new work, Stadia vice president and general manager Phil Harrison made a decision not to move forward after seeing the first version of the sample in 2020 (Hideo Kojima did say one of his own in an interview in the same year. The project was cancelled), and the reason was rumored to be that there was no market prospect for stand-alone games.
But in fact, “Death Stranding”, which is essentially a stand-alone game, has sold more than 5 million copies by mid-2021. Although the more popular “Dian Yu Ren Ke 2077” has experienced many twists and turns, the cumulative sales volume is now 20 million copies. The connected element may not be as essential as Google thinks, and in any case, looking back now, Stadia may have missed the best opportunity to launch its own representative game.
Now that Stadia will be shut down on January 18 next year, there are more and more discussions about Google’s compensation measures for all parties. The hardware and software purchased by ordinary consumers can be refunded, but what about studios that want to release new games on Stadia? Will the indie games that were originally exclusive to Stadia be ported to other platforms? These problems are waiting to be solved by Google. In addition, owners of Stadia Controller grips are also asking Google to open up the device’s Bluetooth capabilities. This allows the controller to use its waste heat without turning into e-waste when it can’t take advantage of the low-latency Wi-Fi features of Stadia games.
For fans of Hideo Kojima, there is no need to worry about the sequel to “Death Stranding”. In May of this year, starring Norman Reedus confirmed the news of new game development. Later, Kojima Studio also announced its cooperation with Xbox Game Studios, and revealed that its next game will use Microsoft’s cloud technology.