Will feature subscriptions AND individual game sales
[Update: Article features new information gathered from the official reveal.]
Canadian newspaper La Presse, following a pre-briefing event, has released pricing and other details pertaining to streaming gaming platform Google Stadia, ahead of the official reveal scheduled for later this morning. By way of Kotaku, here are some of the headlines from the original article.
Google Stadia will launch in November with an initial base service “Stadia Pro” at a subscription cost of $10 USD per month. This will allow access to some of Stadia’s launch library, which can – at 35mbps – be played at 4K resolution/60FPS/5.1 surround sound. Some of the games included in the Google Stadia library, particularly newer titles, will still need to be purchased outright. In 2020, Google will launch an entirely free version of Stadia known as “Stadia Base,” which will require all games to be purchased individually.
At launch, Google Stadia will only support Chromecast hardware connected to a TV set. Mobile and browser support will be rolled out in 2020, with Google planning to expand the range of phones that can carry the Stadia service. The official Stadia gamepad will retail for around $70 and comes in black, white, and wasabi colours, though Stadia supports a wide variety of pre-existing controllers.
A “Founder’s Edition” will launch later in the year for around $130 USD. This edition will include a Chromecast Ultra, one Stadia controller, a three-month subscription to the service, and a copy of sci-fi shooter Destiny 2: The Collection. Buyers will also receive the opportunity to bag their chosen username early. Pre-orders for the Founder’s Edition are open right now.
The library of games coming to Google Stadia will include Doom, Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Destiny 2, Baldur’s Gate III, and the recent Tomb Raider trilogy. A trailer montage from the live stream also included recent and upcoming releases such as Mortal Kombat 11, Metro Exodus, GRID, Samurai Shodown, and Wolfenstein: Youngblood, among others.
