Stadia will have one more exclusive before closing next week

Google publishes one final exclusive game as a thank you to Google Stadia users in the final days of the service's life.

One final exclusive for Google Stadia has been made available less than a week before the platform closes. 

Google's soon-to-be-defunct Stadia game streaming service debuted in late 2019 to varying degrees of acclaim. Users could play games that were being streamed online to their devices as Google's response to the rise of game streaming. Although it shared a structure with platforms like Amazon Luna or Xbox Cloud Gaming, it never quite attained the levels of popularity that were anticipated of it. Google announced in September of last year that the service would end in January 2023, and soon after that it started processing Stadia refunds.

Since the news of Stadia's closure broke, things have been mostly quiet on the release front, as one might anticipate. However, a shock announcement from the Stadia team broke the silence. Worm Game, a Snake-like game that will probably be the last to launch on Stadia, will be released on January 13th, according to the Google Stadia Twitter account. Although some Stadia exclusives for other platforms were also announced, it seems that Worm Game will only be playable until January 18, 2023, at 11:59 PST.

You might have seen one last game arrive on Stadia today. It's a humble 🧡 thanks 💜 for playing from our team.

Find it here: https://t.co/PyAUH181v1

— Stadia ☁️🎮 (@GoogleStadia) January 13, 2023

The "humble title" was used internally during Stadia's development for testing purposes and has since been in use, according to the Stadia page for Worm Game. Less than five days before the service ends, it has been made available as a thank you to users even though it was only ever intended to be seen and played among the team. Using a keyboard, Stadia controller, or other gamepads, players can still enjoy the game for free for up to 180 minutes. With a bittersweet regret that the final dance of the service would be something that had been with Stadia since long before its 2019 launch, fans of the service gathered in the comments of the announcement.

Google Stadia never quite lived up to the expectations that many had for it, but it still had a dedicated following. Numerous gamers appreciated what Stadia had to offer; one well-known example is the Red Dead Online player who logged more than 6,000 hours on the platform. Most people won't miss Google Stadia, but future cloud gaming developers should never forget it as a significant milestone in the history of game streaming.

From now until January 18, 2023, Worm Game will be accessible on Stadia.

Source: Alex Osornio