Google Stadia, the company’s cloud gaming service, will shut down on January 18th after the game failed to gain the traction with users the company had hoped for. The cloud gaming service debuted through a closed beta in October 2018 and publicly launched in November 2019.
Ways to Keep Playing Games on Other Platforms
In spite of the fact that users are about to lose access to all of their titles and save on Stadia, many publishers share ways to keep playing their games on other platforms.
Refunds
Google is also refunding all Stadia hardware purchased through the Google Store as well as all the games and add-on content purchased from the Stadia store.
As of November 2022, refunds have begun processing, and the company expects to process the majority of refunds by January 18, according to reports.
Eligibility
According to an email sent to customers, the hardware refunds for Google Stadia will be processed within two weeks.
As per the tech giant’s Stadia shutdown FAQ page, purchases of the Stadia controller, the Founder’s Edition, the Premiere Edition, and Play and Watch with Google TV packages are all eligible for refunds.
Email Confirmation
Users will receive an email confirmation, once their hardware refund has been issued.
Refunds for Games etc
The tech giant had begun to issue Stadia refunds for games, add-ons and subscription fees earlier this month.
Shutdown of Stadia
In September last year, Google announced to shut down its cloud gaming service Stadia, admitting that it hasn’t gained the traction the company had expected.
New Media Playback Features
Many of the employees on the Stadia team would be distributed to other parts of the company, according to reports.
Meanwhile, Google is reportedly working on new media playback features, including cross-device notifications, which will let users resume media playback on the move and better playback options for Spotify Connect-compatible devices.
Cross-device Notifications
Cross-device notifications will allow users to start playing a playlist or podcast in their car and resume it on their phone or TV later. The new feature aims to improve the user experience by allowing for seamless media playback across devices.