Thus far, it’s hard to view Google Stadia as a success. The streaming service has failed to attract a large audience, and Google recently stopped first-party game development a little over a year after the service officially launched, leaving multiplatform games to fill out its library and putting its lifespan in question. This is despite spending a substantial amount of cash out of the gate to scoop up big-name games.
According to a new report from Bloomberg, Stadia boss Phil Harrison–who previously held executive positions at both Sony and Microsoft–wanted to make a big splash by paying “tens of millions of dollars” for games such as Red Dead Redemption 2 on the platform. It was a very bullish decision that, paired with exclusive games from its internal studios, would have given Google a path toward success with Stadia.
Harrison was part of the PlayStation at Xbox teams at arguably their lowest moments. While working as an executive for SCE Worldwide Studios, the PS3 launched and struggled with a high price point and lackluster exclusives early on. As Corporate VP at Microsoft, he was a leader for the Xbox brand in Europe when the Xbox One launched with a similar thud.
