Rumor: Google Stadia May Be Getting Shut Down

gamerant.com:

Google Stadia hasn't been as successful as the Internet super-giant wanted it to be. While the game streaming service did end up getting its foot in the door for a little while, it hasn't been making waves since its release, and many have theorized that Google would end up scuttling the service entirely in the relatively near future.

This idea isn't without precedent, either, as Google is known to shut down underperforming services in surprisingly short order, and Google Stadia, in particular, isn't doing all that well in the grand scheme of things. The latest rumors suggest that the plans to shut down Stadia may be further along than some would think, with Google aiming to close it down before the end of 2022.

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Google Stadia was originally announced in 2019, and while it was presented as the next big thing for gaming, it barely made a splash in the end. According to Twitter account Killed by Google, which keeps track of all the services that Google closes down, it might not be long before Stadia's time is up. It's a «he said, she said» situation, to be fair, but according to the account holder's sources, Google may shut down Stadia «by the end of summer.» The source also claims that there'd be no license transfer of any sort, which means that any purchases made on Stadia would effectively be nullified as the service closes down.

Killed by Google's source compared this plan to what Google's done with its Play Music service. All subscribers would be informed 30 to 60 days ahead of Stadia's closure, and the final month of service would be refunded as-is, with no additional charges. Recently, it's been revealed that Google may salvage Stadia by changing it to Google Stream, an