Google insists Stadia is “not shutting down”

No, Stadia “is not shutting down”.

Google responded to a new batch of online rumours this week by promising that it is “always working on bringing more great games to the platform”.

“Stadia is not shutting down,” the company tweeted when asked outright on Twitter if closure was imminent. “Rest assured we’re always working on bringing more great games to the platform and Stadia Pro. Let us know if you have other questions.”

It later announced that Wavetale was coming to Stadia Pro for no extra cost by cheekily aping the original post that sparked the unsubstantiated rumour in the first place.

Other recent questions the company has been fielding include confirmation of whether or not players will ever be able to remove games from their libraries (“we have no news to share about [that] option”) and if the company planned to expand into either Mexico or India yet (no).

After a trial last October, which Google claims resulted in a 35 per cent increase in click-through rates and a 70 per cent boost in player engagement, Google has rolled out “Click to Play” demos on Stadia, allowing players to try out games for free for a limited period of time. What’s more, these demos can be launched straight from a compatible web browser without needing a Stadia account.

Did you know Supermassive’s slasher horror The Quarry was originally in development as a “signature” title for Stadia, before Google made the decision to downsize its gaming operation and send the project elsewhere?