Licensing 'Google Stream' as Tech vs. Platform is a Logical Pivot for Stadia

gamerant.com:

As support has wavered from first and third-party sources, Google's game streaming service is making some pretty significant changes. Google Stadia was primed to be the first big jump into gaming primarily through streaming over the internet, of which many were cautiously optimistic with a company like Google behind it. However, that same corporation has had a penchant for pulling the plug on projects that lack the perceived support necessary to keep them going, such as Google+ or Google Play Music. Stadia hasn't been axed in any official capacity, but a new report by Business Insider indicates that Google is instead taking less consumer-focused approach to game streaming.

Business Insider's report indicates Stadia's streaming technology is being pitched and licensed to gaming publishers and companies as «Google Stream,» utilizing the same technology powering Stadia's library. Considering other games have implemented their own proprietary streaming versions (like Hitman 3 or Control on Nintendo Switch), it makes sense Google would attempt to sell its technology to any publisher interested in a streaming version of its game outside of any publishing fees associated with the Stadia storefront. It's an interesting but pragmatic pivot for Google with Stadia, which hasn't taken off quite like its initial promise of the game streaming future.

Comparing Stadia and xCloud

In the past, if games were going to utilize Google's game streaming infrastructure, that generally meant games were releasing on the Google Stadia storefront as standalone titles. That still remains true today, though the publisher support for the Stadia platform has not been kind in the years since the service's launch. In February of last year, Google announced