Google acquires Typhoon Studios to bolster Stadia game development team

By Aaron Mamiit Published December 23, 2019

Google acquired Typhoon Studios, the independent developer behind the upcoming Journey to the Savage Planet, to help make games for the Stadia streaming service.

In a blog post, Google said that Typhoon Studios will be joining the first studio of Stadia Games and Entertainment in Montreal. The developer, however, will continue working on the release of Journey to the Savage Planet to multiple platforms on January 28, 2020, as it is integrated into Stadia’s game development team. Future games from Typhoon Studios will be exclusive to Stadia.

Typhoon Studios was launched in 2017, co-founded by Reid Schneider and Alex Hutchinson. Schneider has loads of AAA game development experience, including as a senior producer on the original Splinter Cell and as executive producer on Batman: Arkham Knight. Hutchinson, meanwhile, was a lead designer for The Sims 2 and Spore, and creative director for Assassin’s Creed III and Far Cry 4.

Stadia Games & Entertainment head Jade Raymond told GamesIndustry.biz that she was impressed with Typhoon Studios’ feat of launching Journey to the Savage Planet, the developer’s debut title, in less than three years, and with a small team of just 26 people.

“They’ve really assembled a AAA team, and the goal of acquiring the team is that it will really give us a head start in making the system-defining games everyone is waiting for,” said Raymond.

The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, but it is likely not a massive purchase. Typhoon Studios, however, is the first investment by Google into Stadia since the video game streaming service launched in November.

Google Stadia has had a rough start, due to a variety of issues that have limited the service’s potential such as poor PC performance, latency issues, a limited launch library, and a confusing user interface. The announcement of the bonus Buddy Pass, which gives away free three-month subscriptions, showed just how much it is struggling.

Joining Google in acquiring assets to boost its cloud gaming capabilities is Facebook, which recently confirmed that it bought Spain-based PlayGiga for $78 million. Facebook has not specified its plans with PlayGiga, but it appears to be preparing to take on Stadia and other video game streaming services.

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Google Stadia’s dedicated community faces heartbreak amid service closure

Google Stadia controller.

The Google Stadia subreddit knew about the service’s shutdown just slightly ahead of the official announcement. Users had already been posting about the Stadia Store’s UI changes that day when somebody posted a screen they saw in the app about how the Stadia store was “now closed.” In a few minutes, the whole internet would know that Google had decided to shutter Stadia by January 18, 2023, and refund all hardware and game purchases.

Stadia had a rocky launch and was never able to recover. So while the official Stadia Twitter account tried to squash rumors it was shutting down a few months ago, it couldn't stop what people saw as inevitable. However, it still came as a huge shock to many in the Stadia community. While Google is offering refunds on purchases, it can't fix what had become a tightly knit community of people who needed the failing platform to play.

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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.

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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.