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Google Stadia Pricing Leaks, Will Have Subscription & Separate Purchases
Google Stadia will have both a subscription model and the ability to purchase games for sale individually, according to a leak from an outlet just hours before the first-ever Stadia Connect livestream. Stadia was originally announced in March as a streaming platform that would make games more accessible for everyone, eschewing the need for a high-end console or computer and instead enabling fans to access current games on any device that has access to Chrome.
Stadia has been the boogeyman of the games industry since that announcement, with many analysts speculating on whether Google's proposed business model could succeed in eliminating the console sector altogether. The response from the industry's biggest influencers has been something of a unified front: Microsoft and Nintendo began working together prior to that announcement, but then Sony and Microsoft announced a partnership (tentatively) that could lead to some ground-breaking cloud technology implementation in the next few years. Whether or not Stadia is able to successfully impact the video game industry in the way Google is hoping, it has already made waves prior to ever being made available thanks to the shake-up its theoretical existence caused.
Google planned to announced Stadia's pricing for the first time in a stream later today, but the news leaked out earlier than intended thanks to Canadian publication La Presse, which received a pre-brief from the company prior to the livestream that has since been taken down. According to that article, which has since been corroborated via Kotaku's Jason Schreier, Google Stadia will have both subscription and individual gaming purchases in what is at first glance a convoluted business model. There will be a base subscription available when Stadia launches in November which costs $11.99 Canadian a month, which will grant access to some of Stadia's games library at 4K resolution and 60fps. Other games, including newer ones arriving to the platform, will have to be purchased individually.
Later, Google will launch what it's calling a "Stadia Base" model that's free but only allows games at 1080p resolution. That option won't be available until 2020. At launch, the Stadia Founder's Edition will be for sale at $169 Canadian and includes a Chromecast Ultra, a Stadia controller, a three-month subscription, and Destiny 2, which was leaked yesterday as a launch title for Stadia. According to the report, Doom Eternal, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, the new Tomb Raider trilogy, and The Division 2 will also be available at launch.
Overall, what's being put on offer from Google will likely assuage the fears of console fans everywhere. The Stadia just doesn't seem like much of a threat with a pricey subscription model paired with the need to purchase individual new games. At that point, all it's saving people from is the initial cost of investment in a console, one that will eventually shake itself out since most of them don't require monthly subscription fees to just play games. If Stadia is able to offer something similar to PS Plus or Xbox Games With Gold services, there may be a bigger shake-up, but as it stands, Google Stadia looks to be a competitor rather than a conqueror in the early running.
