Google’s appetite for creating new services and then dropping them has hit its gaming service Google Stadia. Launched with great fanfare less than three years ago, Google is shuttering the service in January 2023 and providing refunds for anyone who bought hardware through the Google Store and all games and add-ons purchased through the Stadia Store. Meanwhile, Apple Arcade keeps delivering to its target audience of casual gamers.
Although the shutdown of the service has been announced, the Stadia website makes no mention of the closedown. Apple Arcade, which was launched two months before Stadia, lives on and continues to deliver fun games, without ads at a reasonable monthly price.
One of the more interesting things I read was this comment by Tim Biggs, from the Press Any Button newsletter.
“Apple Arcade is such an interesting service. On one hand it seems ideal for casual gamers, offering heaps of ad and microtransaction free games for a low price. On the other hand, around once per year it will randomly drop an incredibly hardcore game like Shovel Knight Dig, and I’ll remember how great it is that I can play across my Mac, phone, iPad and Apple TV with my progress synced in the background.”
Tim Biggs, Press Any Button
Google is notorious for launching products and then dropping them. In the case of Google Stadia, it seems that it’s simply a case of not attracting the audience it targeted. In a statement, Phil Harrison, the Vice President and General Manager for Stadia, said “while Stadia’s approach to streaming games for consumers was built on a strong technology foundation, it hasn’t gained the traction with users.”
In other words, they built it but the people did not come.
In the mean time, Apple continues to play the long game with its subscription services. Apple TV+ has had some success, buoyed by offering it for free when people buy various Apple products and through string production values for its own production such as The Morning Show and Ted Lasso. And while Apple Arcade hasn’t garnered the same traction, it’s hard to see Apple dropping it now.
Anthony is the founder of Australian Apple News. He is a long-time Apple user and former editor of Australian Macworld. He has contributed to many technology magazines and newspapers as well as appearing regularly on radio and occasionally on TV.