Google Stadia “Tepid Launch” Reportedly a Relief For Microsoft and Sony

Google Stadia “tepid launch” has reportedly been a big relief for Microsoft and Sony, according to a report from Kotaku.

Google Stadia “tepid launch” has reportedly been a significant relief for Microsoft and Sony, according to a report from Kotaku.

Stadia is a cloud gaming platform that aims at making physical boxes a thing of the past, while Microsoft and Sony, two traditional platform owners, have different visions for video games even though both are working on their streaming services, Project xCloud and PlayStation Now.

“Both companies (…) had been terrified of Google’s entry into the video game space after rumors started circulating in early 2018 that the tech conglomerate was doing something big,” says the report.

“Over the past couple of years, a number of developers have remarked to me that staff at both PlayStation and Xbox would talk frequently and reactively about Google’s plans, emphasizing each company’s own response to streaming as a result.”

But then, “after the tepid launch of Stadia last month, however, the threat of Google appears to have been overstated,” and now Sony and Microsoft are reportedly only focusing on the “battle” between them, which will be “one of gaming’s biggest stories in 2020.”

Google has tried and done something as big as it could for its gaming debut, boasting a 10.7 teraflop platform that doesn’t require a console nor a powerful PC to run the best games in the industry, but missteps in communication, the sparse launch library and the lack of appeal of its business model have lowered expectations for Stadia.

And for PS5 and Xbox Scarlett, the latest rumor point out that Sony and Microsoft are said to be coming with “similar specs” and “very powerful” platforms, despite team Xbox’s reported low-quality communication with developers.