When Google introduced final yr that it was closing down Stadia as a result of the cloud gaming service hadn’t “gained sufficient traction,” it wasn’t abundantly clear precisely how the platform stacked up in opposition to rivals like Nvidia’s GeForce Now and Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming. Now, statistics shared by the UK’s Competitors and Markets Authority (CMA) present that Stadia had a considerably smaller presence than rival companies, with an estimated zero to five % share of the cloud gaming market in 2022 (through 9to5Google).
The CMA stated that its findings are based mostly on world info offered instantly by every firm. The charts don’t embody precise figures, and Google has remained tight-lipped relating to what number of subscribers Stadia really had. Nevertheless, Insider reviews that the service had round 750,000 month-to-month lively customers in 2020, falling wanting its 1 million goal for that yr. The CMA’s findings point out that Stadia held only a 5 to 10 % share of the cloud gaming market by 2021 after launching in 2019 and was already being dominated by Xbox Cloud Gaming, GeForce Now, and PlayStation cloud earlier than shedding floor in 2022.
The CMA examine was carried out as a part of the regulator’s investigation into Microsoft’s intent to amass Activision Blizzard. All through its provisional findings report, the CMA claims that the merger might forestall different platforms from providing a aggressive recreation library ought to Microsoft make franchises unique to its Xbox Cloud Gaming service and means that Stadia’s lack of content material contributed to its demise. “We provisionally imagine that content material is especially vital to the success of a cloud gaming service,” reads the report. “Significantly contemplating Google’s failure with Stadia, which our proof suggests was precipitated at the very least partly by a scarcity of gaming content material, which was linked to its use of a Linux OS.”
The CMA claims that Microsoft Xbox Cloud Gaming held between 60 and 70 % of the cloud gaming market by 2022, however that must be taken with a grain of salt. There are a ton of asterisks round that quantity, which the CMA spends two full pages addressing. For instance, Microsoft and Sony’s recreation streaming companies can be found as a part of bigger packages, equivalent to Recreation Cross Final and PlayStation Plus Premium. Customers who’ve entry to streaming companies by way of these packages might not really make the most of them, as they’re considered as a free add-on however have been counted towards every firm’s market share by the CMA regardless.
The survey might not precisely mirror precise market share, as some firms bundle their cloud gaming companies with different merchandise
The regulator moreover says it probably overestimated Sony’s market share in 2021 and 2022 by double-counting some individuals who had used its recreation streaming and have been subscribed to each PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now. It’s additionally troublesome to precisely examine the figures, as the information was collected at totally different instances — Xbox Cloud Gaming figures being taken between January and September of 2022 whereas GeForce Now solely offers knowledge for January, for instance.
Nonetheless, it’s clear that Microsoft, Sony, and Nvidia dominate the marketplace for cloud gaming companies, with Google taking residence the scraps.
Amazon Luna additionally reportedly held between zero and 5 % of the cloud gaming market as of September 2022 after launching in March 2022. The service has made efforts to tempt new customers to the platform utilizing free trials however has restricted attain, because it’s nonetheless at present restricted to US prospects. If Stadia’s closure is something to go by, Amazon might have its work reduce out for it to keep away from Luna from sharing an analogous destiny.
