Google is adamant that Stadia is going to be solely cloud-based, and that making traditional hardware console was never part of its plan, and nor is it ever going to be. As such, there have been some concerns from a number of people about whether Google has the sort of infrastructure in place that will be required to run at such intensive levels across the world without any blips- running games at 1080p and 60 FPS on Stadia, for instance, requires a 25 Mbps connection.
However, according to industry analyst Lewis Ward of IDC, infrastructural issues are not going to be much of an issue for Google, who he feels are well positioned to actually offer what they’re looking to offer. “Not at all,” was his response when we asked him about whether infrastructure problems can get in the way of Google’s success with Stadia. “The last thing I worry about with Google is whether they’re good at Web, cloud, and global networking tech. There were demos shown at GDC, apparently using servers located in San Jose, so it’s definitely ‘real’.”
According to Ward, Google’s reveal of Stadia and the information they have shared so far is a clear indicator that they have every intention of becoming a major distributor of games “across all popular gaming screens” within the next five years.
He said: “Given the firepower Google brought to the stage to unveil it, as well as the content and vision outlined, there’s no other conclusion to come to except that Google intends to be not just a major global storefront provider for Android mobile games, but a major distributor for games of all types across all popular gaming screens, within 5 years.”
That said, Ward doesn’t feel Stadia is going to have much of an impact on Google Play, or Google’s success with gaming in Android, which he feels is going along at a steady rate as it is, and won’t be impacted by Stadia one way or the other- not in the short term, at the very least.
“Obviously GP has a massive installed base and drives a majority of global downloads- but a distinct minority of direct spending,” he said. “It depends what you mean, but no, near-terms (before 2021) I don’t think Stadia will have much of a market impact from a revenue angle in particular.
Google’s Stadia will be launching later this year in the US, UK, Europe, and Canada.