At this point, it’s common knowledge that Google’s upcoming Stadia will be built upon a subscription service. However, it has been unclear what that meant for the pricing of games on the platform. According to Stadia chief, Phil Harrison? Not very much.
“I don’t know why it would be cheaper,” Harrison told Eurogamer.
Harrison went on to clarify. “The publisher or the developer is in as much control of the prices as we are, so it’s a bit difficult for me to say what the prices will be right now. But, we’re obviously going to be very aware of prevailing prices in the marketplace.”
While nothing is set in stone, it seems as if the writing might be on the wall. As it stands, the Stadia will cost $130 USD. Buyers will be given two subscription options: a free-to-play Base tier and a Pro tier, the latter of which will cost around $10 USD per month (that’s $120 USD per year, for those keeping score at home). The Pro tier will offer 4K, potentially up to 8K, and HDR support with higher framerates, while the Base tier will be limited to 1080p and 60 FPS. It’s worth noting that the Base plan will not be launching this year, and is scheduled for “sometime in 2020,” according to 9to5 Google.
Where this leaves potential customers is unclear. Google has not fully clarified plans for the Stadia’s longevity, nor have they addressed player concerns about ownership of games. However, provided a game purchase is a “right to stream” versus a “right to download,” and provided that the base entry price sticks, there are a lot of potential red flags when it comes to actually spending money on this thing.
From a consumer perspective, the Google Stadia seems as if it might be too much, too fast. With the idea of an all-digital future still contentious among the gaming public, and Google’s historical lack of long-term support for other ambitious projects, Stadia’s all-digital, streaming-only system is a daunting proposition. With this news that there may potentially be no fundamental difference in the pricing of video games, consumers are left with relatively few reasons to buy into this ambitious new project.
Only time will tell if the Google Stadia will be the future of gaming, or sit alongside the same dark, dusty shelf as Google Glass, Google+, or Google Wave.
