Google unveil “Stadia” & make their long awaited entrance into the gaming sector

Google unveiled Stadia last night at the GDC 2019 & finally announced their big move into the lucrative world of gaming & surely a massive expansion of their advertising reach…

In Google’s demo gameplay moved seamlessly from a phone to a tablet and then to a TV. Whilst existing USB controllers will work on a laptop or PC/Mac, Google is also launching a new Stadia Controller that will power the game streaming service. The controller even has a button to capture and share clips straight to YouTube or use another button to use Google’s Voice Assistant.

Lots of practical details were missing from their presentation such as price & release date but it was a fascinating new take on a games console & if they can get the latency issues & price right it could change how games are played.

The big & very obvious part of the puzzle is advertising which will undoubtedly be Google’s main interest in the sector.

Advertising in games has long been difficult & complex but with the might of Google’s advertising platform, it won’t be long before we are watching pre-roll YouTube ads whilst we wait for levels to load…

Here are the best bits of the keynote…