Although many mocked what Stadia was since its inception, the platform did grow quite a following in the years following. Google to some extent pioneered a mainstream video game streaming platform in aspects better than its competition. Noted, the service even handled monthly free games better in some months – October Stadia Pro featuring Arcade Paradise, Drawful 2, and Tangle Tower.
However, the firm just this past week shared that Stadia will be no more come thing January. The announcement while inevitable to some degree came to be a surprise nonetheless. Thankfully, Google did confirm that the platform will be issuing refunds to those who invested into the platform so close to the shuttering of Stadia.
Since then, there has been multiple developers working to migrate players to other platforms like PC and console in anticipation for Stadia’s new year demise in 2023. With that, Ubisoft, IO Interactive, and Bungie all confirmed it is investigating how it will pursue this moving forward.
To all our HITMAN fans on Google Stadia.
— IO Interactive (@IOInteractive) September 30, 2022
We hear you – we are looking into ways for you to continue your HITMAN experience on other platforms. pic.twitter.com/7VZsDQAMkC
While Stadia will shut down on January 18, 2023, we're happy to share that we're working to bring the games you own on Stadia to PC through Ubisoft Connect. We'll have more to share regarding specific details as well as the impact for Ubisoft+ subscribers at a later date.
— Ubisoft Support (@UbisoftSupport) September 30, 2022
Bungie has "begun conversations about next steps" for #Destiny2 players on Google Stadia. Stay tuned for more updates. pic.twitter.com/3f8aGgtQOM
— Destiny Bulletin (@DestinyBulletn) September 29, 2022
Noted, this effort is selective per game. When Google originally announced the closure for Stadia, it mentions that not all games can confirm progress being carried over for every game. “While that may be possible for some games that support cross-progression play on other platforms, unfortunately, for the majority of games, that won’t be possible,” the FAQ answer reads.
As you might anticipate, most major live-service titles like Destiny 2 already features some form of cross-progression/cross-save with Stadia. But, this cannot be said for every title. As for other properties from other large publishers like Rockstar Games, it is up to the firm to decide ultimately if worth pursuing and cannot be guaranteed.
What are you thoughts on developers pursuing account migration for Stadia users?