If it seems that Google Stadia doesn’t have a lot of games, there’s a good reason for that: indie developers are reportedly not getting enough incentives to develop games for Google, nor do they have faith in the platform’s longevity. When Google first announced its entry into the gaming market, Stadia was billed as a kind of Netflix for games, though later it was revealed that the company was using a much different platform that included elements unique to the streaming service.
However, Stadia’s launch period has been a difficult one for both Google and fans eager to embrace the platform. Early adopters, who paid good money for the privilege of trying out Stadia before everyone else, have complained that Google’s game streaming service is missing promised key features, even months after its release. One of the biggest games on Stadia, Destiny 2, eventually began to see a drastic drop in players, hinting at continuing problems on the service. There are also complaints that Stadia doesn’t have a good catalog of games, especially when it comes to indie titles, such as Untitled Goose Game and Dead Cells. Of the 28 games currently available for Stadia, only four are indie titles.
There is a reason for Stadia’s lack of independent games, though. According to a report by Business Insider, Google has not offered indie developers enough incentives to develop games for the platform. This includes financial incentives, where the offers are too low to make it worth the developers’ time to offer a Stadia version of their games. One developer said that it was approached by Stadia, but the incentive “was kind of non-existent.”
There’s another problem with Stadia, too: trust. Google has a notorious reputation for coming out with new products and services that the company later abandons. Some developers don’t have faith that Stadia will be around for the long haul, especially with the next generation of consoles coming just around the corner. With Google having messed up Stadia’s launch and its current lack of games, it isn’t easy for developers to take it seriously as a significant contender against other gaming platforms and services.
Stadia does have several high-profile AAA games on its platform, along with future titles that could win over players, such as Cyberpunk 2077 and DOOM Eternal. Google has also promised ten timed exclusives on Stadia in 2020, although the company hasn’t released all the titles of those games. However, Stadia could be a lost cause without the support of indie developers, because it’s their games that generally bring more players in. Google needs to get serious about its incentives to those developers, as well as do what it can to earn their trust.
