Google’s stance on cloud gaming has manifested itself in various ways in recent years, but many may remember Stadia – the gaming platform it launched in late 2019 before shutting down in early 2023.
When Google decided to shut down Stadia, it wasn’t clear what happened to its lesser-known B2B counterpart, Immersive Stream for Games.
Throughout this time, business partnerships have slowly grown with the platform, including AT&T offering Batman: Arkham Asylum to its 5G customers for free with its Stadia technology. Later, it became clear that Google Cloud hoped Immersive Stream for Games would be the primary focus, with consumer-centric Stadia moving to the back.
What happened to Immersive Stream for Games?
A few weeks after Stadia drew the curtains, the reasons for the disappearance of Immersive Stream for Games became more clear. Former Stadia Game Director Jack Buser explained Stefan Totilo (opens in a new tab):
“We don’t offer this streaming option as it was tied to Stadia itself. So, unfortunately, when we decided not to move forward with Stadia, that sort of thing [business-to-business] sacrifice could no longer be offered.”
While the days of Stadia are over, Google Cloud seems to still be interested in gaming. While discussing Stadia’s termination, the company noted that it’s best at helping other people build potential Stadia rivals by “not necessarily building it yourself” (Jack Buser, via Axios (opens in a new tab)).
The company now sells cloud services to game publishers under Google Cloud for games (opens in a new tab)and lists Sega, Ubisoft and Nintendo as some of the industry giants that are building on their cloud.
With the Game Developers Conference in California just a few weeks away and the company present, it’s unclear if Google Cloud is set to reveal any revelations.