The cloud gaming platform Google Stadia will be discontinued in 2023.
Anyone who has already invested money will now get it back.
When it comes to music, films and series, streaming has turned out to be a veritable gold mine.
Providers such as Spotify, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video or YouTube have become indispensable.
So it stands to reason that this could also work for video games.
Unfortunately, that didn't work with Google's cloud gaming service Stadia.
The platform launched in November 2019. Now, almost three years after launch, the company has started paying back money to users because Google Stadia will be discontinued in January 2023 - the end had already been indicated last year.
Google Stadia is notifying users about refunds
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Google Stadia never caught on and will now be discontinued in January 2023.
© Jakub Porzycki/Imago
Refunds started on November 9th and customers should receive an email regarding this.
It will probably take a while before the money ends up in the account, as many users are affected.
Google has published a FAQ document on refunds that answers the most important questions.
Which purchases are refunded?
Customers will receive refunds on all game purchases, add-on content, in-game currency, Stadia hardware, and subscription fees - the latter excluding the cost of Stadia Pro.
By when will the money be refunded?
According to Google, most refunds will be made by January 18, 2023.
How is the money paid back?
The repayment is made automatically via the means of payment with which the purchase was made.
If this doesn't work, customers will be contacted via email.
Which cloud gaming providers are still available
In addition to Google Stadia, other companies have also launched streaming services for games.
These include, among others:
Xbox cloud gaming
PlayStation Plus premium
Nvidia GeforceNow
Amazon Luna
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List of rubrics: © Jakub Porzycki/Imago