Even with the reveal of pricing details, it’s unclear as to who Google is really targeting with their Stadia platform. We go over the company’s options if it wants to start off on the right foot.
Thanks to the first ever Stadia Connect, we now have concrete information about what the Google Stadia gaming platform looks like. As it stands, it’s a hodgepodge of features and concepts that make it hard to see an easy entry point for players. The biggest blow is that it’s not a “Netflix for games” as many had hoped. Instead, Stadia relies on full priced purchases and a subscription service that is still unclear and a bit of a tough sell. All this sits on top of still-unproven technology may give gamers pause before they ever log onto one of Google’s servers. However, there’s still massive potential here, especially if Google has a few more reveals up its sleeves after launch.
The Stadia Connect announcement focused on premium experiences, and that makes sense. Showing off that your streaming service can handle big titles like Mortal Kombat 11 and Doom Eternal is key to making Stadia feel like a big presence in the industry even before its debut. Even so, since games on Stadia don’t come automatically with your subscription, Google missed a step but not showing off any big free-to-play titles.
Think about what an industry shattering impact Fortnite left when it transferred over to phones: a complete console-quality experience in your pocket that syncs directly with your version at home. It’s truly the dream when it comes to streaming games, something that Xbox has already tried to tap into on multiple occasions. However, only Fortnite has really achieved it on a huge scale. Using Stadia’s technology, Google could instantly please the audiences of huge titles like Warframe, Smite, and War Thunder.
Not only would you bring in existing players looking to boost the games they already play, but you’d also have a great entry point for players who don’t want to have to drop money down to test out an unproven system.
