Google Stadia er ikke længere fremtidens spiltjeneste. Stikket til tjenesten trækkes den 18. januar 2023 og Google bekræfter, at de vil give brugerne penge tilbage for hardware og spil.

Netop som LG, Samsung og andre TV-producenter var begyndt at positionere Smart TV som en måde, hvorpå man kan spille de nyeste spil via apps – uden konsolhardware – har Google trukket stikket til Stadia.

- "For nogle år siden lancerede vi også en forbrugerspiltjeneste, Stadia. Og selvom Stadias tilgang til streaming af spil til forbrugere var bygget på et stærkt teknologisk fundament, har den ikke vundet indpas hos brugerne i den grad, som vi forventede. Vi har taget den svære beslutning at begynde at afvikle vores Stadia-streamingtjeneste," sagde Phil Harrison, Vice President og General Manager, Google Stadia.

Google Stadia med tilhørende spilstudie blev afsløret med store armbevægelser i 2019 på nogenlunde samme tidspunkt som Apple Arcade – en spiltjeneste med download. Lanceringen af Stadia var imidlertid plaget af problemer, mangler og brudte løfter, og Stadias tætte integration med YouTube var ikke nok til at give tjenesten luft under vingerne.

Stadia slutter sig i stedet til en lang liste af andre mislykkede tjenester fra Google.

Sony og Microsoft opererer ligeledes streamingtjenester til spil i form af PlayStation Plus og Xbox.


 Phil Harrison under lanceringen af Google Stadia i 2019

Refusion af hardware og spil
Stadia var fra starten en risikabel model, hvor kunderne skulle købe spil, der kun virkede på denne platform. Det ender med at blive et dyrt fejlskud fra Google, som agter at refundere brugernes penge.

- "Vi refunderer alle køb af Stadia-hardware foretaget gennem Google Store og alle køb af spil og add-on-indhold foretaget gennem Stadia Store. Spillere vil fortsat have adgang til deres spilbibliotek og kan spille indtil den 18. januar, 2023, så de kan gennemføre de sidste spillesessioner. Vi forventer at have størstedelen af refusionerne gennemført i midten af januar 2023," sagde Phil Harrison.

Flere oplysninger fra Googles FAQ kan findes i tabellen nedenfor.

- "Vi ser klare muligheder for at anvende denne teknologi på tværs af andre dele af Google som YouTube, Google Play og vores Augmented Reality (AR) indsats – samt gøre den tilgængelig for vores branchepartnere, hvilket stemmer overens med, hvor vi ser fremtiden for spil bevæge sig hen," tilføjede han.

Fakta om lukningen af Google Stadia
Q:  How long will I be able to play my games on Stadia?
A;  We will be leaving the Stadia platform and game servers online until January 18, 2023, so you can continue to play games in your library.
 
Q:  Will all games work as expected during this time?
A:  We anticipate that there will be some gameplay issues during this period, especially any games requiring commerce, but the majority of games should continue to work normally.
 
Q: What about my game progress?  Can I take my game progress to another platform? 
A:  While that may be possible for some games that support cross-progression play on other platforms, unfortunately, for the majority of games, that won’t be possible. 
 
Q: Will I get a refund?  What is available for a refund? 
A:  We will be offering refunds for all Stadia hardware purchases (Stadia Controller, Founders Edition, Premiere Edition, and Play and Watch with Google TV packages) made through the Google Store and software transactions (games and add-on purchases) through the Stadia store. Stadia Pro subscriptions are not eligible for refund, however you will be able to continue playing your games in Pro without further charges until the final wind down date.
 
Q: Do I have to return my hardware to get a refund? 
A:  Most hardware purchases (Stadia Controller, Founders Edition, Premiere Edition, and Play and Watch with Google TV packages) made directly from Google will not need to be returned. More details on how to obtain a refund for your Stadia hardware purchases will be posted here in the coming weeks. 
 
Q:  How/When will I get my refund?
A: We are working through this process now and will keep this article updated as we define the process for each of the countries and different situations. Our intent is to have the majority of refunds processed back to the original payment by January 18, 2023.  
 
Q: Are you refunding my Stadia Pro subscription? 
A: We will not be refunding Stadia Pro subscriptions. Players who held an active Stadia Pro subscription as of September 29, 2022 will not be charged for access to their Pro library or other subscription entitlements during the shut-down period.
 
Q:  Why can I no longer purchase games?  Can I purchase in-game transactions?
A:  We have now closed the Stadia Store and disabled all commerce on the Stadia platform, including in-game transactions.
 
Q: I no longer have the form of payment I used to make the purchase, how will I get a refund?
A:  Keep an eye out for an email from us, we’ll provide you with instructions on how to choose a new form of payment.
 
Q: I paid with a gift card and have since thrown it away, how do I get my refund?
A:  Keep an eye out for an email from us, we’ll provide you with instructions on how to choose a new form of payment.
 
Q: I ordered something via pre-order - will I get charged?
A:  All future pre-orders will be canceled and you will not be charged. If you were already charged, you will be refunded your payment.
 
Q: Can I return hardware to physical locations (Google Store, Best Buy, etc.)?
A:  No. Physical locations (Google Store, Best Buy, etc.) will not be able to process any returns or refunds.
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