Google Stadia to close for good in January 2023
Confirmed: After 3 years, Google will close its cloud gaming platform next January 2023. Refunds will be made to Stadia products during these months.
Google Stadia says goodbye to the market. The American giant will close its cloud gaming platform on January 18, 2023. Phil Harrison, general manager and vice president of the service, has explained the reasons that have led the company to close the service after less than 3 years since its launch.
"A few years ago, we also launched a consumer gaming service, Stadia. 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," Harrison acknowledged in a post on Google's official blog.
When will Stadia reimbursements be made?
From this point on, the next steps will be taken: players will be able to access their game library until next January 18, 2023, the last day you will be able to play Stadia. Google expects to complete "most refunds" around the same month, although it has not been specified at this time how you will receive your money back. However, they emphasize that their intention is that it will be refunded in the original payment method.
The refunds will cover both games and hardware. In the latter, they point to the Founders Edition, Premiere Edition, the Play and Watch from Google TV bundles, and the Stadia controller purchased directly from Google. Unfortunately, there will be no refund for Stadia Pro subscriptions. Physical hardware will not need to be returned in order to receive money back.
Google will update their posting on their website once they decide what the process will be for completing the refunds. They do, however, advise users to keep an eye on their email used for purchases, as they will receive a message with specific directions in the coming weeks.
Source | Google