When Google shut down its underperforming game streaming service Stadia, the company announced plans to keep the underlying technology alive in the form of Immersive Stream for Games. Famously, the Resident Evil Village demo was playable in a browser, but it was the same technology that allowed AT&T to let subscribers play Batman: Arkham Knight and fitness bike maker Peloton to launch a game called Lane Break (see (Virtual cycling games turned out to be big business).

While touting Google Cloud's bundle (opens in new tab) of tools for game publishers to support live service games, reporter Stephen Totilo said that Stadia's technology is no longer licensed (opens in new tab) Stadia's technology is no longer licensed (opens in new tab).

Jack Buser, director of gaming industry solutions at Google Cloud, told Totilo, "We no longer offer that streaming option because it was tied to Stadia itself. So, unfortunately, when we decided not to move forward with Stadia, we could no longer offer that [business-to-business] service as well."

Google's current push to reaffirm its part in the gaming industry is a platform called Agones, which it developed with Ubisoft; Agones will be unveiled at the 2019 Game Developer's Conference (new tab) and combines a game server, engine integration, and a series of metrics and player monitoring tools. It appears to be being used not only by Ubisoft, but also by Yager, Niantic, Unity, and other companies looking to get into live-service multiplayer gaming.

Jack Buser, who was Stadia's director of gaming before taking his current position at Google Cloud, said, "Basically, at that point when we had to make a decision about Stadia, we realized that with Google Cloud, we weren't necessarily building it ourselves, we were building it for other We realized that Google Cloud is at its best when we're helping other people build this stuff, not necessarily building it ourselves. [Even now, with games like "Knockout City," "Rumbleverse," and Ubisoft's "Hyperscape" having to shut down within a few years of launch at best, and Square Enix announcing that "Marvel's Avengers" will not be supported after September Assassin's Creed Infinity will reportedly turn the series into a live service game spanning multiple historical settings, while Blood Bowl 3 will feature seasonal updates and Battle Pass: Kill the Justice League, which will likely be a loot shooter with gear scores and cosmetics that can be earned with the Battle Pass.