Google Stadia closes first-party studios developing exclusive games

Google Stadia
(Image credit: Google)

Google is closing its first-party Stadia Games and Entertainment studios, abandoning its plans for exclusive games.

Both the Los Angeles and Montreal SG&E studios are being shuttered, as the company explained in an announcement. "Creating best-in-class games from the ground up takes many years and significant investment, and the cost is going up exponentially," vice president and general manager Phil Harrison said. "Given our focus on building on the proven technology of Stadia as well as deepening our business partnerships, we’ve decided that we will not be investing further in bringing exclusive content from our internal development team SG&E, beyond any near-term planned games."

Kotaku reports that some 150 developers will be displaced by the closure, with former Ubisoft and EA producer Jade Raymond now leaving Google entirely after joining to lead first-party Stadia development. Google says it is "committed to working with this talented team to find new roles and support them." 

Harrison didn't specify which "near-term planned games" will survive this closure, but any lingering releases won't change the fact that Google is officially done developing exclusive, first-party games for Stadia. Google Stadia and Stadia Pro subscriptions remain unchanged for now, but Google will rely entirely on third-party support to expand their game libraries going forward.  To that end, Google's 2021 plans will double down on "efforts to help game developers and publishers take advantage of our platform technology." 

From November 2020: Google Stadia points the way to the future, but it might not be around to see it.

Austin Wood
Senior writer

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.

Latest in Games
Final Fantasy 16 protagonist Clive uses magic in closeup screenshot
Despite fans begging for Tifa, Final Fantasy 16's Clive is "significantly more popular" than any other Tekken guest fighter
Assassin's Creed Shadows Butterfly Collector Naoe squatting next to butterfly on tree
How to complete the Assassin's Creed Shadows Butterfly Collector quest
Mario faces the camera with a thumbs up pose in Super Smash Bros. Ulimate.
Nintendo Direct March 2025 live – all the Switch news, trailers, and reveals as they happen
Batman: Arkham Knight
Rocksteady's rumored single-player Batman game is in development for PC, PS5, Xbox, and "the next generation of consoles"
The Last of Us Part 1
The Last of Us director Neil Druckmann wanted to make sure the first game "was complete" because "I wasn't sure they would ever let me direct a game again"
Pillars of Eternity
10 years later, in a post-Baldur's Gate 3 and Avowed world, Obsidian is giving its own throwback CRPG Pillars of Eternity a turn-based combat mode
Latest in News
Final Fantasy 16 protagonist Clive uses magic in closeup screenshot
Despite fans begging for Tifa, Final Fantasy 16's Clive is "significantly more popular" than any other Tekken guest fighter
Spider-Man 4
There might be an obvious reason why Tom Holland's Spider-Man wasn't announced for Avengers: Doomsday
Patrick Stewart in X-Men
Marvel fans are already theorizing how Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, and James Marsden's X-Men will be integrated into Avengers: Doomsday
Daredevil: Born Again episode 6
Daredevil's Charlie Cox isn't in the Avengers: Doomsday cast list – but Marvel fans have an idea about how he might still show up
Simu Liu in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Simu Liu had the best reaction to Shang-Chi’s announcement for Avengers: Doomsday, but fans think it's "criminal" there hasn’t been a direct sequel
Robert Downey Jr. during the Doctor Doom announcement at Marvel's SDCC 2024 panel
There may still be some big names missing from the Avengers: Doomsday cast list, but Marvel teases that "there's always room for more"