PSA: Google Stadia Shuts Down Today

Heads up, Stadia owners: Google’s cloud gaming program is shutting down today, January 18. The service began issuing refunds for all hardware last November, but if you haven’t received one yet, information on how to obtain one should have been emailed to the Google account used to make the purchase. Refunds for subscriptions to Stadia Pro will not be given.

For those who have Stadia controllers, there is a silver lining and no reason to stop using them. An update can be downloaded that allows your controller to connect via Bluetooth. This update will permanently disable wi-fi so you can’t play Stadia before it shuts down. You can find more information at the Stadia Help Centre.

If you missed The latest news regarding the shutdown, last September, Stadia’s VP and General Manager This was said in a blog posting that “while Stadia’s approach to streaming games for consumers was built on a strong technology foundation, it hasn’t gained the traction with users that we expected so we’ve made the difficult decision to begin winding down our Stadia streaming service.” 

Stadia’s struggles were no secret. Its first-party studios were shut down just over a year in, with the service being “deprioritized” a year later. Although it was an exciting experiment, there are some things that will never work. Stadia, rest in peace.