When Google announced yesterday they were closing the servers for their Google Stadia streaming service and immediately shutting the store and in-game transactions, it took many people by surprise. Those especially surprised were some of the developers and publishers whose games are on the service. Ubisoft has been one of the first to respond to the news, promising players they are working on a way to transfer the Stadia games they own onto PC through Ubisoft Connect.
How Ubisoft will let players transfer their Stadia games to PC
The Google Stadia servers will close on January 18, 2023. Up until then, players can continue to play their games. After that point, all player progress will be lost unless developers have implemented features like cross-play and cross-progression into their games. Ubisoft is trying to prevent this by “working to bring the games you own on Stadia to PC through Ubisoft Connect.” While details on what exactly this entails have not been revealed, the publisher did say they would have more to share at a later date, including how this move will affect Ubisoft+ subscribers. Other developers like IO Interactive are also “looking into ways” for players to be able to transfer their progress from games like Hitman 3 to another platform.
The problem is that for many developers, yesterday was the first time they were hearing the news about the closures. Several have been made to scrap upcoming games and projects due to the immediate closure of the Google Stadia store. This includes games from larger publishers, such as the Stadia ports of Gotham Knights, Skull & Bones, and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, to games from indie developers. For example, SFB Games was due to launch Tangle Tower on Stadia tomorrow, October 1. They found out this would no longer be the case yesterday, September 29. Google is yet to provide any more information to either players or developers affected by the closure.
