Stadia Will Close In January, Google Issuing Refunds For All Hardware And Software Purchases

Google has revealed that its cloud-streaming games service, Stadia, will shut down early next year. 

Stadia will also close its website and its online server on January 18, 2023. The Stadia website will be permanently disabled. According to a Google FAQ, refunds are available for all Stadia hardware purchased (Stadia controllers and Founders Edition and Premiere Editions) via the Stadia Store. It seems like the only aspect of Stadia that won’t be refunded are Stadia Pro subscriptions. You “will still be able” to play your Stadia Pro games until the end of time without additional charges. 

Google states that “most hardware purchased…directly from Google” won’t require the return of your hardware if you want to receive a hardware refund. Stadia will process the vast majority of all refunds by January 18, when it is expected to shut down. 

All functions of the Stadia Store have been disabled. You will no longer be able make Stadia-related in-game purchases. 

Stadia’s shutdown is not the best news. Stadia didn’t really succeed despite cloud gaming’s continued popularity, thanks to Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming initiative among others. Google’s announcement in February 2013 that Stadia was closing two of its studios and ending first-party gaming development, is the first indication that Stadia could be short lived. This February saw word that Google Stadia had been deprioritized. Stadia is now in its final months before becoming history. So long, Stadia. 

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