Bethesda Acquisition by Microsoft Factored Into Stadia Studios Shutdown - Gamerant

Bryank75

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Excerpt;

This past Thursday, Google Stadia GM Phil Harrison did a Q&A with Stadia staff regarding the decision to shut down Stadia's game development teams. Kotaku has reported on some of Harrison's responses. While Harrison was said to be very coy regarding the reasons for the decision, one specific thing he mentioned was Microsoft's ongoing acquisition of ZeniMax Media, which includes Bethesda, id Software, MachineGames, and other subsidiaries.

How Microsoft's Bethesda acquisition factored into Stadia's game development efforts wasn't explained, it seems. All Harrison is reported to have said is that Microsoft's acquisition of Bethesda and its ongoing "buying spree" of other studios was a factor in Stadia's decision. Kotaku doesn't provide any further context for Harrison's response. It doesn't even provide a direct quote. Yet if Harrison was willing to say it, then it must have been important.
 
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peter42O

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This was already known when Google announced that they were shutting down their internal studios. They said that they lost the bidding for Bethesda and simply didn't want to invest the money that would be required to run a streaming only platform and eco-system. Plus, their business model sucked. Why anyone would want to spend $60+ to buy a game only to be able to stream it is beyond me. Google should have went with a subscription service as it would have made much more sense considering that you could only stream the games.
 
Hobbygaming

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peter42O said:
This was already known when Google announced that they were shutting down their internal studios. They said that they lost the bidding for Bethesda and simply didn't want to invest the money that would be required to run a streaming only platform and eco-system. Plus, their business model sucked. Why anyone would want to spend $60+ to buy a game only to be able to stream it is beyond me. Google should have went with a subscription service as it would have made much more sense considering that you could only stream the games.
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It still would've failed being a subscription service though, people just don't want cloud gaming
 
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Dr Bass

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Just not enough big publishers to have games the service now or what? Stadia seemed like it would clearly be 3rd party driven, but part of that reason also feels like a cop out.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. All this talk of "the future is streaming" is clearly wrong IMO. The reason is when the ACTUAL future shows up people clamor for it. It's not something you need to force down people's throats. The best recent example of this is the iPhone. It was a revelation when revealed. Other, in progress, phones were immediately cancelled. Incumbents didn't even believe it was possible that it was real, it was so good. Ironically a great example of us being told something being "the future" when it obviously is not, is the iPad. Apple would constantly say it was the "future of computing" even though any idiot could see it was like a computer but much, much worse. Why would it be the future? It offered, and still offers, nothing better than a laptop for doing the kinds of tasks that Apple suggest you do on the device.

So how is streaming the future? It's a worse experience. It has inherent latency. It depends on internet that can easily drop out. It's yet another subscription service. Literally nothing about it is better for the consumer.

So basically. Stadia died because streaming sucks, and because Google sucks at making consumer products.
 
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ethomaz

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They wanted Bethesda to force gamers to use their service (not much different from MS) but ended losing it so better shutdown.
 
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MScarpa

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I personally enjoy the cloud. I like having choices. Sucks that Stadia had to go, maybe those people will move to Gamepass or Plus
 
DynamiteCop

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Are they going to issue refunds to people even in part? They'll probably get sued out the ass by the EU if they don't.
 
EDMIX

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Thats so funny.

With how bad Stadia did, I don't know why they thought Bethesda would be the major turning point or something. Lets say that buyout doesn't happen, they still fail as they'd be waiting for Starfield in 2023, but they are failing RIGHT NOW, so this idea that it factored tells me they might have been looking to buy them at the time or something.

So...Google right now, is MS circa 2005 or so, where they were locking down timed shit, trying to get deals vs buying the fucking teams needed. MS did some of the dumbest and scummiest shit then, I remember wondering why the fuck would they publish Mass Effect KNOWING its going to be 3 games, they don't own the team......acts shocked when EA buys them? I don't know man, maybe actually REALLY invest in buying teams or? At this time Sony bought Sucker Punch, Guerilla Games, Media Molecule, Evolution, Big Big studios etc they were preparing to loose those big 3rd party titles they had the previous generation as exclusives based on PS2 being beast and building that in house stock for the future.

MS out here paying for timed shit like Bioshock and GTA DLC like any of that shit matters today in 2022 or some shit lol

Google is literally in that spot, trying to make deals, but not buy, come on this platform.....but not invest. They are even in a fucking worst spot because MS had to just fuck with Sony and Nintendo (a tall order), Google has to fuck with Amazon, MS, Sony, Nintendo and Valve...if that isn't enough to make them buy a publisher, I don't know what will wake them up to any of this. It took MS literally generations to realize you need actually buy teams to compete with Sony head on. Not buying some DLC, timed shit or Halo/Forza/Gears 20000x times or something, you need NEW IP, new teams...buy shit please. Google is going to need to do that to really make a dent in the market or make their own teams to be a real threat.

Getting 3rd party content in this day and age isn't enough anymore, that gets you in the stadium parking lot at this point, not in the game =)
 
DynamiteCop

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Gods&Monsters said:
Phil Harrison needs to contact the FTC and tell them MS didn't let Google compete.

MS wants a monopoly in cloud gaming and they want to kill Sony in the process.
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Does Microsoft even charge for xCloud? I thought it was just an inclusion in GamePass.
 
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Gh0stnTheBashShell

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Bryank75 said:
Exactly, companies want it....cause it suits them. But gamers certainly do not, in general anyway.
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When I was contracting for the military I actually met a lot of people who got into Stadia, PsNow, etc. It fits a certain niche of users but not all and realistically I think it should be an option that's available but not the only one, you as a consumer deserve choice.
 
Gods&Monsters

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DynamiteCop said:
Does Microsoft even charge for xCloud? I thought it was just an inclusion in GamePass.
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You still have to pay for GP so what's the difference? You can subscribe if you have mobile only.

The biggest selling point about xCloud is that you don't need a console. MS is expanding their datacentres in 3rd world countries as if those people are begging to play Halo on their tablets 🤣

MS will learn the hard way nobody gives a shit about cloud gaming. Sony and Google already knows there's no money there.
 
Gh0stnTheBashShell

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Gods&Monsters said:
You still have to pay for GP so what's the difference? You can subscribe if you have mobile only.

The biggest selling point about xCloud is that you don't need a console. MS is expanding their datacentres in 3rd world countries as if those people are begging to play Halo on their tablets 🤣

MS will learn the hard way nobody gives a shit about cloud gaming. Sony and Google already knows there's no money there.
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I mean Azure is so dominant that like AWS that it's a drop in the bucket in all in terms of operation cost. Even if they're in a 3rd world country it's by and large only for Azures reach and xcloud is just part of that
 
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