Can a second game studio help stem Google Stadia’s struggles?

Google’s early Stadia struggles aren’t deterring the company from expanding. Its Stadia Games and Entertainment division just opened a second studio, and a former executive from one of the industry’s most acclaimed developers is in charge. Based in Playa Vista, California, the new studio will focus on developing exclusive games and new “unique interaction models,” according to Google’s announcement. Shannon Studstill, who was previously VP of product development and the head of God of War developer Sony Santa Monica, will serve as studio director. Prior to joining Sony Santa Monica, Studstill spent time at Electronic Arts and co-founded PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale studio SuperBot Entertainment. “While we’re not ready to share specific game plans yet, rest assured we are listening to what gamers want and [are] adding our own Stadia twists to create new IP and experiences,” Stadia Games and Entertainment VP Jade Raymond said in the announcement. Along with its two new studios, Google owns Journey to the Savage Planet developer Typhoon Studios. The game is available on other platforms since development finished prior to the December 2019 acquisition. That said, the studio will presumably focus on Stadia exclusives moving forward and is being integrated into the first Stadia studio location. Google Stadia is short on exclusives at the moment, but that will change in 2020 as there are at least 10 timed exclusives releasing in the first half of the year. Still, Google hasn’t shared details on what those games will be even as approximately 120 games will come to the service in 2020. For comparison, there are thousands of games available on Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox One, and their lead over Stadia could grow even more this year. Whether these internal studios will help bolster Stadia remains to be seen. The service has struggled to gain momentum since its launch late last year, and Digital Trends wasn’t impressed with its performance or game selection. Some of its biggest promised features, such as a save state sharing system, aren’t included yet, and it only supports a few mobile devices. Microsoft’s Project xCloud, meanwhile, is still in its beta phase but supports most iOS and Android devices already. It hasn’t given a final launch date, though once it does launch it will compete more directly with Stadia. Baldur’s Gate 3 took the gaming world by storm after leaving early access on August 3, making it one of the most successful PC game launches in recent memory. It’s also coming to PlayStation 5 soon, but Baldur’s Gate 3’s wild success has me thinking about another platform the game was originally going to come to: Google Stadia. If there’s one video game presentation happening over the next week that has the most to prove, it’s the Xbox Games Showcase. Despite a strong start to the year with Hi-Fi Rush and a solid Developer Direct showcase, Microsoft’s gaming branch has floundered in recent months because of struggles with its acquisition of Activision Blizzard and the rocky launch of Redfall. With the Xbox Games Showcase and Starfield Direct Double Feature, Microsoft must reconfirm its commitment to gaming and to releasing high-quality first-party exclusives. That said, Xbox is in an excellent position to do just that because of Sony’s underwhelming May showcase. As the first major gaming presentation of the summer, Sony had the chance to “win” the whole game reveal season early with its PlayStation Showcase. Ultimately, that live stream proved disappointing because of its focus on CGI reveal trailers and live service games. Fitness as a standalone concept — whether someone is running on their own, going to the gym, or just even walking on a daily basis — has overall net positives for each person. The World Health Organization notes that “some physical activity is better than doing none” at all. People see visible, physical benefits from physical activity, including improved health, muscle growth, and improved coordination and balance. And when it comes to fitness video games, those same benefits hold true. Fitness games have been around since the 1980s in some capacity when early iterations like the Joyboard for the Atari 2600 were first rolled out. But some of the most notable early fitness games that truly saw success come in the form of the arcade hit Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) and Wii Fit. Both games have been positively received and effectively worked in getting players up and moving, be that through dance or more traditional workout methods like yoga and strength training.