Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

Facebook might take on Google Stadia thanks to its recent acquisition

By

Facebook confirmed on December 18 that it is increasing its video game portfolio with the acquisition of PlayGiga, a cloud gaming company based in Madrid, Spain.

The report first broke late last week after Spanish business newspaper Cinco Dias reported that Facebook had purchased the European-based startup company for $78 million (70 million euros). “We’re thrilled to welcome PlayGiga to the Facebook Gaming team,” a company spokesperson said to CNBC. “We are continuing our work in cloud gaming, now with a new mission.”

Recommended Videos

What that new mission is, exactly, is not yet clear. Based on this recent acquisition, it appears Facebook may be gearing up to take on other cloud video game services, specifically, Google Stadia, which hasn’t had substantial success in the market since its debut last month. However, Facebook has not commented on what it intends to do with its new subsidiary. Facebook’s previous contributions to the gaming market have been drastically different compared to other companies, with the company focusing more on free-to-play games available on its website.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Established in 2013, PlayGiga ran a cloud gaming service in Argentina, Chile, Italy, and Spain, with the company obtaining licensing agreements for more than 300 game titles with notable publishers including Disney, Capcom, Sega, and Warner Bros. to name a few. Additionally, the company ran proof-of-concept tests in Austria, Guatemala, the Netherlands, and Sweden. Before the Facebook acquisition, PlayGiga was aiming to make the service accessible in the Middle East.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Within the last several years, Facebook has been making small steps to expand its reach in the gaming market. In 2014, the company acquired the virtual reality headset manufacturer Oculus for $2 billion. Just last year, the company launch a livestreaming service, Facebook Gaming, to compete with similar platforms including Mixer, Twitch, and YouTube.

Related
In addition to Google, numerous other tech and gaming companies have also begun releasing cloud video gaming services, including the home gaming console juggernauts, PlayStation, and Xbox. In October of this year, Sony permanently slashed the price of its subscription-based service to $10 and in that same month, Microsoft released a preview version of its cloud gaming service Project xCloud. Nvidia meanwhile has operated its cloud gaming service called Geforce Now since 2013.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Taylor Lyles
Taylor Lyles
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Based out of Baltimore, Maryland, Taylor is a contributing writer for Digital Trends covering the latest news in the computer…
Ubisoft and more offer ways to play purchased Google Stadia games elsewhere
The protagonist of Assassin's Creed: Valhalla shouting in battle and wielding two axes.

Google recently announced that it plans to shutter its cloud gaming service Stadia in early 2023, leaving players who used it as one of their primary platforms in an awkward situation. Google already promised to refund people for their Google Stadia hardware and software purchases, but people are still losing access to games they enjoyed and save files they possibly dumped hours into. Thankfully, some developers are working on ways to help Stadia players.
The most notable studio to help Stadia players is Ubisoft, which was Google's earliest partner for the technology via an Assassin's Creed Odyssey demo. "While Stadia will shut down on January 18, 2023, we're happy to share that we're working to bring the games you own on Stadia to PC through Ubisoft Connect," Ubisoft tweeted. "We'll have more to share regarding specific details, as well as the impact for Ubisoft+ subscribers, at a later date." Thankfully, the Stadia versions of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Far Cry 6, Immortals Fenyx Rising, Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, and Watch Dogs: Legion support cross-progression, so players won't lose their save files. 
https://twitter.com/UbisoftSupport/status/1575922767593078793
Ubisoft isn't the only developer to help. Developer Muse Games is giving Embr Steam codes to those who played its comedic co-op firefighting game on Stadia if they email the developer with screenshots of Embr in their Stadia library. Meanwhile, IO Interactive confirmed that it is "looking into ways for you to continue your Hitman experience on other platforms," as the World of Assassination trilogy was available on Google Stadia. 
There's still the matter of the five Google Stadia exclusives: Gylt, Hello Engineer, Outcasters, Pac-Man Mega Tunnel Battle, and PixelJunk Raiders. So far, only one of those games seems like it will be saved. PixelJunk Raiders developer Q-Games said in a blog post that "we hope to find a way to continue to share the vibrant worlds of Planet Tantal in the future, and we’re open to discussing opportunities to find the right publishing partner to make it happen.. Tequila Works, tinyBuild, Splash Damage, and Bandai Namco Entertainment did not respond to requests for comment from Digital Trends.
While the shutdown of Google Stadia is disappointing for players like myself who enjoy cloud gaming, at least players will be get refunds, and in some cases get the game for a new platform.

Read more
This wireless workaround will give your Google Stadia controller new life
google stadia release date november 19 controller pax west 1 2

Google announced yesterday that it will shut down Stadia in January. The good news is that refunds will be given to everyone who bought all Stadia hardware, including its controller, so long as they bought it from the Google Store. You don't have to return the controller to get the refund (see the platform's FAQ page), but it doesn't have to go to waste just because Stadia is shutting down.

Users in the Stadia subreddit have been asking Google to make the firmware for the Stadia controller open source so that it would work on PC and consoles even after its namesake platform has been put out to pasture (per Eurogamer). Though Google won't be able to do that in an official capacity anytime soon, software engineer Parth Shah created a workaround tool that allows players to use the controller wirelessly over Wi-Fi.

Read more
Google Stadia shutting down in January and users are getting full refunds
Google Stadia controller.

After three years, Google Stadia is coming to an end. The Silicon Valley giant announced that the cloud-streaming platform will be going offline on January 18, 2023.

In a blog post published on Thursday, Phil Harrison, Stadia's vice president and general manager, said the company made the difficult decision to shut down Stadia because the cloud-streaming service hasn't "gained the traction with users" that it expected since its launch in 2019. This is despite the developed technology that allowed players to play demos from YouTube videos on their favorite games and then purchase them later, no console required.

Read more