For Google Stadia players there are a lot of questions about what will happen to their games, hardware, and game progress when the servers shut down on January 18, 2023.
Google was quick to explain to players how to get a refund for Google Stadia hardware and software purchases – with details coming within 24 hours – and advice on how to download Google Stadia save data. But these solutions won’t solve every problem for disenfranchised Google Stadia players.
Thankfully, game developers are picking up the slack and trying to piece together the best way to save players from the sinking cloud gaming platform.
Despite having as much notice as players that Google Stadia will be shutting down, Bungie (the team behind the hugely popular Destiny 2) is already trying to formulate a plan to help out the roughly 5,000 players that check into the servers daily on Stadia (via Forbes). While this isn't a massive number of players, Bungie is trying to find a way to make sure their progress doesn’t get permanently deleted along with the rest of Stadia’s data on January 18.
It may even try to find a way for them to keep playing Destiny as Ubisoft is doing with its games (like Assassin's Creed Odyssey). While players will be getting a refund for their Stadia library, Ubisoft said it has plans to issue players free PC copies of the Stadia games they own, too.
Not to be outdone, IO Interactive has told Stadia players that it is looking into ways for them to continue their Hitman 3 adventure on a different platform.
For now, though, these plans are still in their early stages. The developers say they were given no advance warning of Stadia’s shutdown, so they’re having to come up with solutions on the fly rather than having the answers at the ready like Google.
As we get nearer to January 18, we’ll likely find out more about what these and other studios will do to keep Stadia players from feeling hung out to dry. Make sure to pay close attention to your Stadia account’s email for any guidance on what you can do.
