There are a lot of question marks surrounding Google’s streaming-only platform, Stadia. Though they revealed plenty at their GDC reveal conference, there was quite a lot they didn’t talk about- so whether or not they can be successful with this very ambitious idea is something that depends on a lot we simply don’t know about- such as the infrastructure, for starters, which is a huge talking point, given its cloud-based nature.
But according to Tony Gowland of Ant Workshop, developer of the upcoming procedurally generated co-op twin-stick shooter Dead End Job, infrastructure won’t be as much of an issue as the actual content will be, which is an opinion share by Stadia’s direct competitors as well. While speaking with GamingBolt, Gowland said that the infrastructure is something that will constantly keep improving, and shouldn’t be much of an issue for Google- but the games they’ve shown off for it so far – such as DOOM Eternal – are the kind that most people, in his view, will want to get on their physical consoles. As per Gowland, then, Stadia might end up finding more success if it tries to appeal to the mass market instead, similar to what the Nintendo Wii did.
“Infrastructure will always keep improving,” said Gowland. “For me the tech thing is really down to how long Google stay interested in the space – if they’re around for the long haul then the internet stuff will catch them up. I wonder more about the market for what they’re offering, to be honest – so far they’re showing off very ‘gamer’ games like DOOM and Assassin’s Creed. I’m not sure if people who want to play those titles wouldn’t already have a console or PC, I think the audience there are enthusiasts who actively enjoy buying and owning their hardware. I think something much more mass market like the Nintendo Wii would be more of an obvious fit.”
In the same interview, Gowland also spoke to us about Sony’s stance on cross-play, and what he thinks the future holds for it. Read more on that through here. Ant Workshop’s Dead End Job is due out for the PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC some time this year. Our full interview will Gowland will be going live soon, so stay tuned.