Google's Stadia game streaming service is not shutting down

Contrary to what you may have heard over the last few days, Google stated that it is not shutting down its Stadia gaming service. After a rumor began circulating earlier this week that claimed the platform would be shut down later this year, the firm issued the statement. “Stadia isn't shutting down,” reassured the official Stadia Twitter account in a tweet spotted by PC Gamer. “You can feel free to continue posting there since we're always working on adding even more fantastic games to the platform and Stadia Pro.”

After Cody Ogden, a Twitter account and blog that keeps track of the company's constantly expanding graveyard, shared a message from a Facebook fan group, some Stadia fans were certain Google would finally kill the service. According to the post, an "old colleague and friend" informed them that Google recently held a meeting to discuss Stadia's future. They said Google would shut down the platform by the end of the summer using essentially the same technique it used with Google Play Music.

At the time, only a popcorn emoji was offered by Ogden, who self-described himself as a phony poster, in response to the message. That wasn't enough, though, to stop the rumor from sending the Stadia community - including the official subreddit - plummeting. To its credit, Google responded to this crisis with some humor.

That even a thinly sourced rumor caused upheaval among the Stadia community isn’t surprising. Since Google terminated its first-party studios, the service has been in a life support situation. The event highlights the potential for unhealthy parasocial relationships with technology businesses like Google. “Communities that are confident in their future survival don't react like some of the things I've been harassed with in public and DMs over the last few days,” he added after the storm passed. “Maybe you need to reconsider your connection to technology if even the prospect that a piece of technology might vanish affects you so much that it makes you fear for your life?”