Developers voice concerns over Stadia closure
Studios said they were not warned of the shutdown ahead Google's announcement yesterday
Several developers have voiced concerns following the announcement of Stadia's closure, as they were not given prior notice.
Yesterday, Google announced that Stadia will be shutting down in January 2023, but for many developers, the public announcement was the first they heard about it.
Maia developer Simon Roth tweeted that it was "months of [his] work going in the bin again," adding that he wasn't given any prior notice: "Every time something bad happens in games. The people affected, sometimes having their lives turned upside down, learn from the press or Twitter. No emails, phone calls, no heads up, no note on the website."
He added that he doesn't "know anyone doing Stadia stuff right now who has heard anything more than what the press has." Further down his thread, he shared a screenshot from another Twitter user showing that Google staff were allegedly only told about the closure three hours before the public announcement.
Other developers have shared similar stories, with SFB Games' Tom Vian saying on Twitter that Tangle Tower is due to release on Stadia tomorrow and an article from The Verge announcing Stadia's closure was the "first [he] heard about it shutting down."
Veteran games developer Rebecca Heineman also tweeted: "We have a title coming out November 1st. Now we hear about this." She later added that her team was "still wondering how to proceed."
In the announcement shared yesterday, Stadia VP and general manager Phil Harrison said he still sees "clear opportunities to apply this technology across other parts of Google" and that the company remains "deeply committed to gaming."
Google will be refunding all Stadia purchases made through the Google Store as it was taken down immediately, but hasn't addressed measures taken on the development partners' side.
GamesIndustry.biz has reached out to Google for clarifications.