Google Stadia is getting a demo of Immortals Fenyx Rising that users can play for a week. Ubisoft's upcoming open-world game casts players as a winged demigod on a quest to save the Greek Gods from the monstrous Typhon. The game promises satisfying combat, character creation, and an open world designed like a theme park.
Stadia is widely regarded by players as a service that promised more than it could ever deliver. It was marketed as a way for players to stream their favorite video games to any device, without having to worry about download speeds or graphical limitations. The service launched in 2019, to widespread disappointment. Many reviewers felt that the tech wasn't quite ready, and that they were rarely if ever getting the performance they were promised. They also complained about missing features and a lack of quality exclusives. When Google failed to provide significant improvements in the long months that followed, many supporters began to lose hope entirely.
But Stadia persists, and has recently announced a new tactic to bolster its player numbers. As reported by Indigo Pearl, Stadia is launching "Three Days of Demos," a series of free demos for Stadia users to try out. The first demo, which launches today, is for the recently announced Pac-Man battle royale, Pac-Man Mega Tunnel Battle. Since the game is a timed exclusive for Stadia, it makes sense that the service would showcase it here. Tomorrow's game is Humankind, a 4X game in the vein of Civilization 6 that will allow players to rewrite history. Finally, on the 22nd, Stadia players will be treated to a free weeklong demo of Immortals Fenyx Rising.
Immortals Fenyx Rising, as a first-party Ubisoft title, is definitely the biggest name on that list, which is probably why Stadia is saving it for last. Advertising such a recognizable title is a very good move for the struggling platform. The game will be releasing for all platforms, but not until December 3rd, more than a month from now. Keeping a fully playable demo of the exciting new title exclusive to Stadia might just boost player numbers.
For all its controversy and all its disappointment, Google Stadia is a very promising concept. Not everyone has the space or the money to invest in next-gen consoles, so the idea of playing the biggest AAA games on a cheap laptop or a smartphone without any loss of quality is extremely tempting. Hopefully, in addition to hosting big-name titles like Immortals Fenyx Rising, Google will learn from its ignominious launch and work hard to put the Stadia paradise it has promised into the hands of gamers soon.
Source: Indigo Pearl