Sameed Khan·

Google Stadia Release Date And Launch Regions Announced

At its Made by Google event in New York today, Google announced a release date for its upcoming game streaming platform Stadia.

Google Stadia launches on November 19 in a total of 14 countries for $10 per month as part of its “Stadia Pro” subscription. Those who pre-ordered the $130 “Founder’s Edition” will get early access to the platform starting at 9AM PST in addition to a Chromecast Ultra, an exclusive dark blue variant of the Stadia controller, and three months of Stadia Pro. The premium subscription will allow 4K HDR streaming at 60 frames-per-second with support for 5.1 surround sound while a free variant slated for 2020 will be limited to 1080p at 60fps and stereo sound.

At launch, Stadia will support no less than 31 games, including the likes of Red Dead Redemption 2, Mortal Kombat 11, and Borderlands 3, with the unreleased Doom Eternal and Cyberpunk 2077 coming later. Of note here is that only one of these, Destiny 2, will be free to play for subscribers, with the rest to be purchased at their usual retail prices.

Stadia, you see, is more of a distribution platform than a Netflix-style buffet. In an interview with The Verge, Google’s director of games Jack Buser confirmed that the platform would “sell these games like any other digital storefront.”

Of course, the number of free titles on offer may rise as the streaming service is adopted by more users, though internet data caps may prove to be one of many obstacles in that vein. While most may have internet bandwidths that match or exceed the recommended minimum of 10Mbps for streaming at 720p or even the 35Mbps that affords the best possible quality, not everyone will take kindly to having their data allowances exhausted by long gaming sessions.

As for availability, Google Stadia will initially be available in the following regions, with Google to expand this coverage to more territories in due course.

  • US
  • Canada
  • UK
  • Ireland
  • France
  • Germany
  • Italy
  • Spain
  • Netherlands
  • Belgium
  • Finland
  • Denmark
  • Sweden
  • Norway

Looking for the lowdown on how Stadia’s brand of cloud gaming will work? Watch the video below.

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