Only 12 games will be available on Google Stadia in time for Nov. 19 launch [Updated]

  • The hardware you get with the $129.99 Stadia “Founder’s Edition.”
  • Close-up of the exclusive Founder’s Edition Controller.
  • Shoulder buttons!
  • Extra Stadia Controllers will be available for $69 in three colors, including “Just Black”…
  • …”Clearly White”…
  • …and “Wasabi.”
  • A Chromecast Ultra is the easiest way to stream Stadia games to your TV.

Today, Google announced 12 games that will be available for individual purchase and streaming when Founders Edition pre-orderers get their hands on Google Stadia starting November 19. The games are:

Fourteen additional titles are promised to launch on Stadia before the end of 2019:

A number of legacy titles that were previously promised as part of the Stadia “launch window” are currently not included in Google’s list of 2019 Stadia releases. Those include:

Major publishers Capcom and EA are also absent from Stadia’s current planned 2019 lineup, though both were listed as participating in Stadia’s “launch window” as recently as August. Google has not yet responded to a request for comment on those omissions. [Update: A Google spokesperson told Ars that “‘launch window’ conveyed the first few months after launch.  What we announced today was the first 6 weeks.”]

A handful of other unreleased titles that were promised for the Stadia launch window have simply been delayed into 2020. Those include:

Of the 26 titles planned for Stadia release this year, Tequila Works’ horror game Gylt is the only one that won’t be available on other platforms concurrently (though Google has an internal development studio working on more exclusives in the coming months and years). Darksiders: Genesis is due to launch simultaneously on PC and Stadia on December 5.

Looking at the 24 remaining 2019 Stadia games, 15 were first released on other platforms sometime in 2019, and five more were first released in 2018. The list of 2018 releases includes Farming Simulator 19, even though an updated “2020” version of the franchise is due for release on other platforms December 3. And while Football Manager 2020 will also be launching on other platforms November 19, developer Sports Interactive has said the Stadia version will offer “the fastest way to experience Football Manager” thanks to Google’s cloud data centers.

At launch, Stadia is only available via the purchase of a $130 bundle that includes a Stadia controller and a Chromecast Ultra for TV play. A free tier, which does not require a separate hardware purchase or a $10/month “Stadia Pro” subscription, is planned for next year.

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Listing image by Google

https://arstechnica.com/?p=1600451