Destiny 2
Bungie
We can talk a lot of about what went wrong with the launch of Google Stadia. For me, it was the fact that it barely worked at all in my home, and it took about three weeks of troubleshooting to figure out it had something to do with my mesh Wifi network (which works perfectly for all my other devices and services). But if we’re zooming out for the larger picture, the primary thing that Google Stadia needed at launch is something it still doesn’t have, the free tier of the game streaming service.
It continues to seem like a strange decision to pitch Stadia as a hardware-free, low-cost alternative to traditional video gaming and then launch with a service that is…not really that, as of yet. The founder’s packs for Stadia are still $130, which is lower than the cost of a console (they come with a controller and Chromecast Ultra), yet still not free either. Not to mention you need to pay for the monthly “premium” streaming subscription for 4K streaming, and then buy games on top of that for Stadia, with only a few free ones offered.
The problem is that all adds up to a significant cost, even if it’s below that of a console bundle. Introducing the free tier of Stadia eliminates a ton of that stuff. You don’t need a Chromecast or Google controller to play Stadia, nor 4K streaming. In theory, the free tier of Stadia means you can open Chrome on your computer, log in, and start playing any game you want to purchase with your mouse and keyboard or existing controller. The only cost there is the specific game you want to play. That’s a much more attractive prospect, and it was kind of the core selling point of Stadia to the “casual” crowd that may not buy a console otherwise. But in its current form, with the $130 bundle, plus the subscription, plus the cost of games, you’re appealing to a very, very narrow crowd.
I say all this in the wake of what appear to be not-great numbers for Stadia. Yes, Google has just announced 120 Stadia games coming in 2020, including 10 “timed exclusives,” though those titles are not listed. And yet we don’t know the current state of the playerbase, and have to rely on outside metrics.
Pocket Gamer reports that Stadia app downloads are half of what they were around launch, indicating an initial burst of installs but some level of interest drop-off, even in the wake of programs where Stadia subscribers could offer “buddy passes” to friends. Two weeks ago, I wrote that Destiny 2, Stadia’s flagship free game with the subscription, has seen its playerbase halved since the launch window. But since I wrote that, the population of 8,000 players has dropped closer to 5,500 according to tracker Charlemagne.io, now less than a third of what it was near launch, and just half a percent of the game’s entire population across PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
Again, these are not super conclusive metrics. We have to allow for Stadia players bouncing off Destiny or moving to other games, but I stand by the thesis that what Stadia needs more than anything as a shot in the arm is the release of its free tier, which does seem like it should have been a core part of the initial launch. I have asked Google if they have an updated timetable on when that might arrive, and will update if I hear back.
I don’t know where Stadia will be a year from now once next-gen consoles are launched and further competitors in the space arrive like xCloud or Amazon’s streaming concept, but for now, things seem like they’re in a kind of strange place for Google’s gaming effort.
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