Google responds to Stadia complaints over lack of announcements

Google has responded to recent complaints from Stadia owners who feel the company has left them in the dark following the launch of the platform. 

Earlier this week, a number of customers voiced their concerns on Reddit and said the company had "officially gone 40 days without a new game announcement, release, feature update, or real community update." 

A number of criticisms were leveled at the tech giant, but the general feeling was one of frustration and disappointment at the perceived breakdown in communication and growing number of unfulfilled promises. 

Now, Google has addressed some of those concerns in a statement to GamesIndustry.biz, and explained it had been offering weekly updates on the Stadia Community forum alongside monthly posts on the Google Keyword blog. 

Referencing its pledge that 120 new titles will be brought to the platform in 2020 (which has since been met with skepticism), Google said it understands that users want to hear more about those games, but that they'll need to look to publishers for more information.

"We understand the desire to hear more specifics on the games. After all, that is what it is about: the games," said a Google spokesperson. "Of course, not all 120 titles will be announced by the Stadia team, as we leave it up to the publishers to make the announcement about their IP/games, and which platforms it will appear on -- just as we will do with the exclusive content coming to Stadia.

"There are a lot of reasons for the time of those game announcements -- anything from planned promotions or events, title readiness, proximity to first playable demo, shareholder requirements, etc. We continue to work closely with our publishing and developing partners and are here to support them in all areas. We are excited to share more about some of the exclusive games coming to Stadia soon."

It'll be interesting to see whether the mood within the Stadia community changes now Google has addressed some of the more prominent concerns.