Google is opening a new studio in Playa Vista, California to develop Stadia-exclusive games, and it's being led by PlayStation veteran Shannon Studstill.
The first dedicated Stadia game studio was announced in October, and then Google bought Typhoon Studios in December to develop games for the platform. But now, with Studstill's decades of success in the field, Google is perhaps better positioned than ever to develop unique, attractive games exclusive to the Stadia.
"The new Playa Vista studio will focus on delivering exclusive games, using new gameplay mechanics, creative ways to play together and unique interaction models that we’re just starting to explore," said Stadia Games VP Jade Raymond in a new blog post.
Studstill's experience with PlayStation dates back to the late 90s, where she Executive Producer and Director of Internal Production at Sony and supervised the inception and growth of God of War studio Sony Santa Monica. Most recently, she was Vice President of Product Development at PlayStation before being brought in by Google to develop Stadia games.
"I’ve been a fan of Shannon’s for a long time, and have admired her award-winning work leading Sony’s Santa Monica Studio and the industry defining franchises like God of War that have won fans all over the world," Raymond said of Studstill.
There's no denying Stadia's new studio head has an impressive body of work. Despite the Stadia's less-than-stellar launch, Studstill joining the Stadia team is a strong, encouraging signal to the platform's future.
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