1/ Yesterday’s closure of Stadia’s internal studios and business realignment shuttered Google’s cloud gaming platform strategy. In this thread I'll explain
2/ In the history of the game industry, first party content has been required for the success of platforms. Mario for Nintendo, Uncharted for Sony, HL2 for Steam. Microsoft knew this when they bought Bungie to release the Xbox.
3/ The only exception have been smart phones, which didn’t start as game platforms, and are only successful as game platforms without first party because Apple and Google have closed the ability for competition on their devices (hence recent antitrust.)
4/ Indeed, if Stadia was the only cloud gaming platform allowed on Android, given time, Stadia could have been successful without first party content. But Google wasn’t willing to do that, nor should it have done so.
5/ First party content is not just a way to start the engine, it is THE POINT of gaming platforms. No one wants a Nintendo Cube or Microsoft Box, they want fun games. There are lots of fun games today, and many places to get them from.