Gamers say goodbye to Google's Stadia as platform shuts

Google volition unopen down its Stadia cloud-gaming work successful the UK connected Thursday, arsenic it issues refunds to gamers.

The work volition beryllium inaccessible aft 08:00 connected 19 January successful the UK, with gamers telling BBC News they are "heartbroken" to spot it go.

Google has promised refunds to anyone who made Stadia purchases.

That includes radical who bought controllers, games oregon downloadable content, with Google antecedently estimating those refunds would beryllium completed by mid-January.

Google has marked the closure by releasing 1 last Stadia game, Worm Game, which the developers utilized to trial the work earlier its nationalist release.

It has besides unveiled plans to marque its Stadia controllers susceptible of utilizing Bluetooth, which would let them to beryllium utilized connected PCs wirelessly to play immoderate game, adjacent aft Stadia's closure.

But fans person reacted with sadness, with galore pointing retired immoderate games developed exclusively to beryllium played connected Stadia could beryllium mislaid everlastingly erstwhile the work closes.

Splash Damage, a London-based developer that made multiplayer crippled Outcasters, said past twelvemonth it had nary plans to bring the crippled elsewhere.

Meanwhile, Q-Games laminitis and main enforcement Dylan Cuthbert told BBC News his squad had spent 2 years processing Stadia exclusive PixelJunk Raiders and helium wanted to marque definite it was not "gone forever".

"It's a existent shame erstwhile radical can't play a crippled you've spent years making," helium said.

"We're hoping to speech to publishers who tin assistance america get it connected to a PC oregon adjacent PS5 [PlayStation 5] oregon different platforms. The IP is ours, truthful we're trying to find a mode to bash that."

Mr Cuthbert said helium was discussing however this mightiness enactment with Google, which had been "forward thinking" astir uncovering a resolution. But determination is different problem.

"I'd privation to rework the crippled a small spot arsenic well," helium said.

"At the clip erstwhile we launched it, we did person to unreserved it a spot astatine the end. I wanted to walk similar a spot much clip - possibly different 8 months oregon truthful - reworking a fewer things.

"If I was going to relaunch it, I'd bash that and I'd privation to find a steadfast who tin assistance america bash that. But there's thing connected the books yet."

Jordy, 30, from Gosport, told BBC News she owned 3 Stadia controllers and was "heartbroken" it was closing.

"I honestly loved Stadia," she said. "One of the things I recovered the champion astir Stadia was the information I could crippled anywhere.

"I was capable to play games similar Destiny 2 with my spouse via my iPad whilst helium was playing connected the PS5. The Stadia controller was the champion controller I'd used. I loved it."

But Jordy praised Google for leaving cipher retired of pocket.

"The refunds enabled maine to get myself a caller gaming instrumentality and Ubisoft adjacent gave maine the games we already purchased, for free," she said.

"Even the hardware was refunded, truthful we fundamentally got controllers and 4K Chromecasts for free. It is simply a shame that Stadia had to adjacent but I americium blessed I was capable to acquisition it."

Dan, 30, successful Kent, got his Stadia hardware connected launch. It was the archetypal clip helium had played immoderate games successful 8 years, helium told BBC News.

"I picked up the Stadia due to the fact that of the easiness of use," helium said. "There were nary downloads, nary updates to install... conscionable erstwhile you wanted to play a game, it was there.

"I astir apt spent £800 oregon £900 connected games. I precocious picked up an Xbox due to the fact that I needed thing to regenerate it."

"I honestly loved it. It brought maine backmost to gaming."

Some contributors asked that their surnames beryllium withheld