In October 2019, Google said it intends to open several new studios to develop games exclusively for the Stadia platform; the first was based in Montreal, but today Stadia Games and Entertainment head Jade Raymond, revealed that the second will open in Playa Vista, California, and will be led by Shannon Studstill, former head of God of War developer Sony Santa Monica.

"I have long been a fan of Shannon's and admire the award-winning work she has done leading Sony's Santa Monica studio and leading industry-defining franchises like God of War, which has won fans around the world. She has an extensive background in product development and creative leadership, but most importantly, as studio director, she is a visionary who leads and inspires the Playa Vista team."

At this time, no specifics on what the studio will be doing have been revealed, but Raymond said, "We are listening to what gamers want and adding our own unique twist to stadia to create new IP and experiences."

Whatever it is, we may not see it for quite some time: in October, Raymond said that Google is taking a long-term view to establish itself as a first-party developer, and that "big bets and huge new IPs that fully leverage the cloud might take a few years."

Google also announced today that "The Division 2" will be available on Stadia and will support PC cross-play, with progression shared through linked Uplay accounts. Unfortunately, the promised 4K/HDR support and Google Assistant enhancements for the PC version of Stadia have not yet been announced. These are expected to appear later this year, but neither date is known yet.