Google sets up new gaming studio in Montreal for Stadia exclusive games

It seems like Google is taking things **seriously with Stadia** and it has announced a new game studio in Montreal. They are calling it Stadia Games and Entertainment and the studio chief Jade Raymond, who has earlier worked with EA and Ubisoft, says that there will be multiple studios in the future. [caption id=“attachment_6297431” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”]  Spectators look on during a Google keynote address announcing a new video gaming streaming service named Stadia that attempts to capitalize on the company’s cloud technology and a global network of data centers, at the Gaming Developers Conference in San Francisco, California, U.S., March 19, 2019. Image: Reuters[/caption] In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Raymond opened up about the studio’s plans with Stadia. She said that multiple first-party studios will be established along with a publishing studio that will ship the exclusive content. While third-party publishers will still be releasing games on the platform, Raymond wants to take advantage of the uniqueness of Stadia to develop exclusive experiences. Raymond added that being a native cloud-based game, it would be possible to build detailed simulations, advanced AI behaviours, and enhanced MMO experiences. In this case, the developers won’t be limited by the user’s hardware, so the possibilities are endless. Google has been innovating in AI technology and incorporating the same capabilities to game NPCs in RPG-style games could bring in a drastic improvement in realism. Games will feel more natural and close to playing against real human players. This will also improve immersion and feel like you’re actually having a conversation with the NPCs. Raymond was quick to point to the technological prowess of Google Duplex and its natural-sound conversation could make its way to such exclusive games. Google Stadia releases on 19 November starting with 14 regions with the Pro subscription pack. The base package will be free and it launches in 2020.